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UFC 275 will go down in a couple of weeks’ time, and in the event’s co-headliner, UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against Taila Santos.
Valentina Shevchenko is going to be heavily favored to defeat Taila Santos and retain her UFC flyweight title, but if she wins, should she move up to 135 pounds?
A move up to bantamweight could make plenty of sense for ‘Bullet’, and it could make a ton of sense for the UFC, too.
With that in mind, here are five reasons why Shevchenko should move up to bantamweight if she wins at UFC 275.
#5. Valentina Shevchenko could walk directly into a shot at the UFC bantamweight title
Whenever a UFC champion from a lighter weight class announces their plans to move up a division, it’s usually because they’ve got a second title in their plans. Usually, that involves them leapfrogging a top contender from the division they’re moving to – something that can often cause controversy.
In the case of Valentina Shevchenko, though, if she were to move to 135 pounds, she could walk directly into a shot at the UFC bantamweight title and nobody would be likely to bat an eyelid.
That’s because once the issue between current champ Julianna Pena and former titleholder Amanda Nunes is settled at UFC 277, there’s no clear-cut top contender in the division.
Holly Holm just lost to Ketlen Vieira, but no one is going to want to see ‘Fenomeno’ fight for the title after her performance in that fight, while the likes of Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington simply haven’t done enough to earn a shot either.
Essentially, there’s a big gap at the top of the division for someone to step into. Shevchenko, who only ever lost to Nunes at 135 pounds before her drop to flyweight, and actually beat Pena in early 2017, could easily fill that gap. The fact that she’d get an instant title shot alone should be enough for ‘Bullet’ to want to move up after UFC 275.
#4. Valentina Shevchenko departing flyweight could refresh the division entirely
It’s probably fair to say that Valentina Shevchenko is not just one of the best champions operating in the UFC right now, she’s one of the greatest of all time. Since claiming the UFC flyweight title by defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in 2018, she’s made six successful defenses and has never really been tested.
Right now, ‘Bullet’ is rightfully considered the best female fighter, pound-for-pound, on the planet, but is there an argument that she’s actually holding the UFC’s flyweight division back? Surprisingly, the answer is yes.
Simply put, Shevchenko is so far ahead of her competition at 125 pounds that there’s no drama in any of her title defenses. Taila Santos, for instance, is clearly an excellent fighter, as she’s reeled off four wins in a row. However, nobody is really giving her a chance to beat ‘Bullet’.
If she were to move to bantamweight, though, not only would there be a scramble for the title she’d vacate, but some of her former victims – the likes of Katlyn Chookagian and Lauren Murphy – would suddenly be given a new lease of life.
Add in the fact that prospects like Casey O’Neill, Maycee Barber and Manon Fiorot would suddenly have a better shot at becoming a champion, and without Shevchenko, the UFC’s flyweight division would look in better shape, making her move to bantamweight worth it from the promotion’s perspective, too.
#3. A move to 135 pounds would give Valentina Shevchenko a chance to cement herself as UFC’s female GOAT
Valentina Shevchenko is clearly a great champion, as her six straight title defenses show. However, could ‘Bullet’ be considered the UFC’s female GOAT right now? It’s highly debatable.
Sure, Shevchenko is currently the top-ranked pound-for-pound female fighter in the promotion, and she’s clearly the most dominant fighter in her weight class. However, in the bigger picture, it’s arguable that she still sits behind Amanda Nunes.
Not only is ‘The Lioness’ the only female fighter to hold two UFC titles in separate weight classes simultaneously, but she’s also defeated a total of six former or current UFC champions, including Shevchenko on two separate occasions.
However, Nunes’ loss to Julianna Pena in 2021 put a dent of sorts in her legacy, and so if ‘Bullet’ could move up to 135 pounds and capture the title there, then there’d be an argument that she, and not ‘The Lioness’, deserves to be known as the female GOAT.
Essentially, if Shevchenko wants to put a real capper on her legacy in the octagon, then a move to bantamweight is highly necessary.
#2. There are fresh fights for Valentina Shevchenko in the 135-pound division that don’t involve the bantamweight title
The biggest issue for Valentina Shevchenko at 125 pounds has been the lack of really eye-catching fights for her, despite her status as reigning flyweight champion. Sure, her next opponent,Taila Santos, is on a four-fight win streak, but she still feels little more than a “contender of the month” type.
The likes of Jennifer Maia, Lauren Murphy and Katlyn Chookagian, meanwhile, simply didn’t move the needle either. While Jessica Andrade was considered dangerous, even she was never a true star per say.
At 135 pounds, though, that’d be very different. Even ignoring the UFC bantamweight title for a moment, there are plenty more intriguing fights for ‘Bullet’ if she were to move up in weight.
Bouts with Ketlen Vieira, Irene Aldana and a rematch with Holly Holm would all be intriguing, and obviously, a clash with Julianna Pena or a trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes would definitely get the blood of the fans pumping.
At 125 pounds, on the other hand, the better prospects are probably a couple of years away from a crack at the champion, meaning that if she stays, Shevchenko will end up in the same spot that former men’s flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson once was – fighting in bouts with no jeopardy.
With that considered, a move up in weight has to be a no-brainer for ‘Bullet’.
#1. Valentina Shevchenko has nothing left to prove at flyweight
Given that she’s already defended her UFC flyweight title on six occasions after claiming it in December 2018, it’s probably safe to say that Valentina Shevchenko has absolutely nothing left to prove at 125 pounds.
If she were to defeat Taila Santos and continue to fight in the weight class, then, who would be next for her?
Judging by the UFC’s current rankings, then the most likely next fresh title challenger would be Alexa Grasso, who is currently ranked at No.5 and is on a three-fight win streak. However, despite her improving skills, the Mexican would simply not be considered a tricky opponent for ‘Bullet’.
The wild card could be former bantamweight queen Miesha Tate, who is set to fight at 125 pounds for the first time in July when she faces Lauren Murphy. However, ‘Cupcake’ is arguably past her prime now and wouldn’t be favored against Shevchenko even if she’s got name value.
The truth is that the better prospects in the division – Maycee Barber, Casey O’Neill and Manon Fiorot – are still some way from earning a title shot, and O’Neill, arguably the best of the three, is currently rehabbing a serious knee injury.
Those fighters would probably come to the forefront in a post-Shevchenko division, but for now, beating them wouldn’t mean a lot to ‘Bullet’. Essentially, Shevchenko has cleaned out this division – and needs to move up to find a new challenge.
