What do you have when you get a dominant champion who completely kicks the ass of every fighter they face? What do you have when that champion decides to go up in weight, win that belt too, and then screw around there for a while kicking different people’s asses? What do you have when every single time a potential challenger appears, they get absolutely starched whenever they get one fight away from a shot at the title?

You have an absolute shitshow. That’s where we are with the UFC women’s bantamweight division. Champion Amanda Nunes has reigned supreme since knocking out Miesha Tate for the title in 2016, and has embarked on probably the greatest title run in women’s UFC history – better than Ronda Rousey, whom Nunes knocked out in 48 seconds and who repeatedly armbarred much lesser competition.

In Dec. 2018, she moved up to 145 and knocked out Cris Cyborg to win that belt as well, in an unreal performance against a seemingly-unbeatable killer that cemented the Brazilian as one of the greatest fighters of all time:

She didn’t defend the featherweight belt right away. Instead she returned to 135 for two title defenses in 2019, facing very credible challengers: Holly Holm, the legendary boxer and former UFC champion best known for ending Rousey’s time at the top, and Germaine de Randamie, a brilliant Dutch kickboxer with some of the best pure striking in MMA.

Nunes handled both, relatively easily. “The Lioness” starched Holm with a vicious head kick in the first round, before controlling a lopsided decision against GDR, who couldn’t fend off her takedowns.

In doing so, she cleared out the division. There were no more legit challengers. She’s instead spent 2020 tooling around at 145: Nunes dominated the out-of-her-league Felicia Spencer in June, and is set to defend the title once more against Megan Anderson in December.

That’s left 135 on hold over the past calendar year – an upsetting prospect for the rest of the division, but also an opportunity to restock bantamweight with some interesting contenders. Last Saturday’s UFC card on Fight Island looked like that perfect chance, with two interesting up-and-comers – tenacious grappler Julianna Pena and heavy-handed Mexican boxer Irene Aldana – in prime spots to earn star-making wins.

The worst thing that could have happened was that they both lost. And it’s exactly what happened. Pena looked to have a potentially advantageous matchup against de Randamie, who has struggled with pressure wrestling in the past, but GDR stunningly put her to sleep with a guillotine choke in her first-ever submission win. Meanwhile, Aldana looked completely outmatched in the main event against Holm, aimlessly chasing her around the Octagon for five rounds as the veteran controlled every facet of the fight.

So we’re right back where we started. The only other rising contenders also have some work to do. Ketlen Vieira was 10-0 and looked to be well on her way late last year, until Aldana knocked her out cold. There’s also the very talented Aspen Ladd, currently placed as the No. 3 contender in the division by the utterly meaningless UFC rankings, but she’s just one fight removed from de Randamie knocking her out in 16 seconds – she’s also had notable trouble making 135, and has to find her way back from a severe knee injury suffered while training for a fight with Sara McMann in June.

That, once again, leaves Holm and GDR. The UFC’s last option left may be scheduling a rematch between the two former champs – de Randamie beat Holm in 2015 to win the inaugural UFC featherweight title, but in a very close fight that many scored for Holm – with the winner getting one last shot at Nunes.

But that option is unappetizing on its own. Holm and de Randamie are Nunes’ two most recent victims at 135 – GDR has actually lost to Nunes twice, eating a first-round TKO in Nunes’ second-ever appearance in the Octagon back in 2013. I suppose there could be some slight interest in a third fight between the two, owing to GDR’s success on the feet during last year’s rematch and the strides she seemingly showed on the ground against Pena, but it’s pretty tough to market a trilogy fight when one of the fighters is already 0-2.

There may be one other option: getting Valentina Shevchenko in there one more time. The Russian Muay Thai artist’s dominance over the flyweight division has run in parallel with Nunes’ own mastery over the last three years – Shevchenko is arguably the top female fighter on Earth behind Nunes.

Shevchenko, of course, started her UFC career at 135, establishing herself as a top contender with wins over the likes of Holm and Pena. Like everyone else, she’s lost to Nunes – twice, in fact – but the most recent bout, a title fight in Sep. 2017, was the single most competitive fight Nunes has been in over the last six years. Nunes took home an incredibly close split decision that many scored for Shevchenko – notably, out of 22 media outlets that scored the fight, 10 gave it to Nunes, 10 to Shevchenko, and two called it a draw. The first fight, which took place the previous March, was also relatively competitive.

It’s just the world we live in where the single most interesting option is someone whom Nunes has beaten twice. And for his part, Dana White doesn’t seem too eager to book the fight – when asked about the potential of a rematch in June, White said that he’s looking to set up a matchup with strawweight champion Zhang Weili before thinking about Nunes-Shevchenko III.

So where does that leave the 135-pound division? It leaves it completely in the lurch. Everyone within spitting distance of a shot at the title is someone whose ass Amanda Nunes has kicked. There’s nothing else new in sight. Time keeps marching on, and no one seems to be getting any closer.

Maybe Nunes will one day get bored and give up the belt. But until then, the bantamweight division is in a pit that it’s going to be real hard to get out of.