After a fastidiously disputed selection win to open her 2nd energy as UFC girls’s flyweight champ, Valentina Shevchenko believes a superfight could also be following.
Shevchenko (25-4-1 MIXED MARTIAL ARTS, 14-3-1 UFC) outworked opposition Manon Fiorot (12-2 MIXED MARTIAL ARTS, 7-1 UFC) a little bit bit larger than 3 weeks again at UFC 315 in Toronto within the co-main event. She gained with a triad of 48-47 rankings. It had not been immediately clear after the win whom her following opposition would definitely be.
Saturday, whereas in Las Vegas, Shevchenko can have obtained a little bit high quality with the UFC on ESPN 68 centerpiece in between Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber– up till Barber took out minutes previous to her walkout, correctly dumping herself from the dialogue. Before Shevchenko beat Fiorot, Natalia Silva knocked Alexa Grasso down the ladder.
So there may be Silva, and there may be Blanchfield– but Shevchenko moreover believes when the second includes determine what’s following, the title may be from yet one more division.
Shevchenko believes strawweight champ Zhang Weili (26-3 MIXED MARTIAL ARTS, 10-2 UFC) has layouts on a go as much as 125 further kilos for an opportunity on the belt, which’s the battle she believes is most sensible.
“Flyweight right now is the most exciting weight class – so many good and talented fighters,” Shevchenko said on the post-fight program after the UFC on ESPN 68 program. “But from the other side, you can see the champion. She built up her career. She deserves so much because of her title defenses. I feel at this point, she deserves this fight. Everyone deserves it.”
After a two-fight run of losses to Rose Namajunas in title battles, Weili has 5 straight victories. She had one safety in 2023 versus Amanda Lemos, one in 2024 versus Yan Xiaonan and one earlier this yr at UFC 312 versus Tatiana Suarez.
Virna Jandiroba positioned herself able to receive a title shot in April along with her fifth straight win, and she or he’s one title Shevchenko doesn’t carry her return to but. But the idea of combating Weili finally could also be troublesome to resist– although Shevchenko emphasised she’ll wait up till she’s fully recuperated from her sway Fiorot and all set to start a camp previous to she’ll fully research preparing for any individual.
“Weili has the same passion for martial arts (as me) and has this mindset of ‘no matter what happens’ – not fame or whatever,” Shevchenko said. “She’s very loyal and feels good about mixed martial arts. This is what I like about her. It’s the same as I am, the feeling for martial arts itself. I’m hearing from my fans this is what they want to see.”
