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Valentina ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko has had an eventful reign as UFC women’s flyweight champion. She has been a dominant force since moving down to 125lbs and has successfully defended her title 6-times.
‘Bullet’ has distanced herself from the rest of the division in terms of making her fights look easy at times. She reached another milestone in her career as she moved to the top of the UFC’s women’s pound-for-pound rankings. After Amanda Nunes’ title loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269, the women’s flyweight champion was clearly worthy of top spot.
Looking ahead to this year, it becomes difficult to find a contender. It’s not that the division is bad, it’s just that ‘Bullet’ has already beaten the top-4 ranked fighters in the division. The UFC could try to think outside the box for future title-challengers, with flyweights and bantamweights being a possibility. This list will look at 5 possible opponents for Valentina Shevchenko.
#5. Shevchenko vs. Casey O’Neill
A fighter that could find her way into the title picture is undefeated ‘King’ Casey O’Neill. She climbed the ranks at 125lbs and has finished her opponents in devastating fashion.
‘King’ Casey is regarded as one of the UFC’s top prospects in the women’s flyweight division. She is coming off the most impressive win of her career, which saw her defeat Antonina Shevchenko by second round TKO.
With the win, ‘King’ Casey earned a Performance of the Night bonus and solidified her place in the women’s flyweight rankings. She is scheduled to fight former title-challenger Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 271 in what will be Modafferi's final MMA fight.
An impressive win for ‘King’ Casey could get the attention of the champion. She already has a win over ‘Bullet’s' sister, so it wouldn’t be hard to sell a potential fight between the two.
#4. Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso
No.11-ranked Alexa Grasso would be another interesting matchup for Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso has benefited from the move up to 125lbs after eight years of competing at strawweight. She has won back-to-back fights by unanimous decision and could see her climb into the top-10.
After experiencing difficulties making the 115lbs strawweight limit, Grasso noted that she feels much healthier competing at 125lbs. Grasso recognized the struggles of cutting too much weight and competing at her natural weight-class could lead to more success going forward.
If Grasso could pick up a couple more wins against top-10 opponents, she could earn a title shot. Despite being ranked No.11 in the division; she isn’t far from a title shot. With 'Bullet' having already beaten many top-10 ranked flyweights, Grasso could be a fresh matchup for the promotion.
#3. Shevchenko vs. Amanda Nunes 3
The trilogy bout between Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes has been one that fans have been curious about. Both women have definitely made a case for why they should be in the conversation for greatest women’s fighter of all-time. They have both won championships in their respective weight classes and have multiple title defenses.
‘Lioness’ won both fights against ‘Bullet’ which is why the promotion hasn't pushed for another bout. The second bout was much closer and many felt as though ‘Bullet’ should have gotten the win.
Despite Nunes losing her bantamweight championship, the fight is still a possibility in the future. Similar to Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway, the trilogy will always be an option should the promotion decide to pursue it. ‘Bullet’ has expressed interest in a trilogy bout, so time will tell if it becomes a reality.
#2. Shevchenko vs. Miesha Tate
A fight that could be possible for Valentina Shevchenko this year is against Miesha Tate. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion announced plans to move down to flyweight and already has a bout scheduled. She’ll be making her flyweight debut against former title challenger Lauren Murphy in May in a Fight Night event.
‘Cupcake’ has an advantage heading into her flyweight debut. Because of achievements in the sport as well as name recognition, she won’t have to wait long for a title shot. If she defeats Murphy, she could earn the next title shot against ‘Bullet'.
What also helps Tate’s chances of earning a title shot is that she hasn’t fought the champion before. Both competed at bantamweight in the past, but never ended up being matched up. Tate retired from the sport after UFC 205, while ‘Bullet’ was rising up the ranks at bantamweight.
#1. Shevchenko vs. Julianna Pena 2
The biggest fight for Shevchenko at the moment is a rematch with Julianna Pena. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when she submitted Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. She was a massive underdog and silenced the doubters by ending the reign of a champion that was perceived to be unbeatable.
Following the bout, Pena had mentioned possibly moving down to 125lbs to challenge ‘Bullet’ for her flyweight championship. It’d be a rematch of their 2017 bout, which saw ‘Bullet’ submit ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ with an armbar in the second-round. Since their first bout took place at bantamweight, perhaps the UFC will give the flyweight champion the option of moving up instead.
Winning their first fight and her successful title defenses could motivate 'Bullet' to pursue double champion status. 'Bullet' would have a great opportunity to accomplish another milestone in her already legendary career.
