5 rising women's flyweight prospects who could one day dethrone Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko is by far one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the entire UFC right now. She is leaps and bounds ahead of all of the top contenders in her division. She recently put on a near-perfect performance against Lauren Murphy at UFC 266.

She has also defeated many of the other top-ranked women's flyweights, having TKO'd Jessica Andrade, outpointed Jennifer Maia and knocked Jessica Eye out cold with a brutal head kick.

It now seems that to look for true competition, Valentina Shevchenko may well have to look to the rising prospects of her division, rather than the established contenders. Whilst women's flyweight has previously been criticized on account of its shallow talent pool, the division has a surprising number of young prospects.

In the following list we breakdown five women's flyweight prospects who could potentially defeat Valentina Shevchenko. Honorable mentions go to Mayra Bueno Silva, Maycee Barber, and Erin Blanchfield.

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#5. Tracey Cortez vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Currently 3-0 inside the UFC, Tracey Cortez is being billed as one of the flyweight division's brightest future stars. Her striking occasionally leaves something to be desired, but her wrestling game is amongst the best in the entire division.

She has multiple victories over high-level opposition, both inside and outside the UFC. For Invicta FC, Cortez won a decision victory against Erin Blanchfield, who has since signed to the UFC. She picked up a similar victory over Mariya Agapova on the Contender Series.

In the UFC, Cortez has dominated Vanessa Melo, Stephanie Egger, and Justine Kish. She would likely have already been well on her way up the rankings, but injuries have limited Cortez's progression somewhat, with fights against Bea Malecki and JJ Aldrich both falling through.

If Cortez is able to continue growing as a fighter, and is able to improve her striking, she could provide a problem that Valentina Shevchenko has not faced.

#4. Casey O'Neil vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Casey O'Neil is currently set to take on the sister of Valentina Shevchenko, Antonina, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker. A win here for O'Neil may well light the competitive fire in 'Bullet', possibly even sparking a rivalry between the two.

Casey O'Neil is an undefeated flyweight with a 7-0 record. She currently has two wins inside the UFC, both ending within the distance. She brutally defeated Shana Dobson via TKO, and caught Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Lara Procopio in a slick rear-naked choke submission.

O'Neil is still young in her career. If she continues evolving at the pace she has been, she may well push Valentina Shevchenko to limits she has never previously experienced.

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#3. Manon Fiorot vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Manon Fiorot is somewhat of an outlier in the women's 125lb division, in that she possesses one natural attribute sorely lacking in many of her fellow flyweights. That attribute is power.

Manon Fiorot currently has five back-to-back KO/TKO finishes. Two of those victories have come inside the UFC over Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci. Fiorot has also competed in a number of respected organizations over the course of her career, including Cage Warriors and UAE Warriors.

She is currently preparing for a fight with another rising prospect in Mayra Bueno Silva, which may well force Fiorot into some untested waters. However, Fiorot will only improve from this point onwards, and she could well be a major threat to Valentina Shevchenko.

#2. Taila Santos vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko was not the only female flyweight to put on a dominant performance at UFC 266. Talia Santos took on UFC veteran Roxanne Modafferi, dominating 'The Happy Warrior' in every facet of the fight. Even when the match hit the mat, Santos evaded Modafferi's high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu and landed vicious ground and pound.

This was not the first time Santos has shown her ability to deal with high-level ground fighters. Her decision victory over Gina Mazany comes to mind. However, her bread and butter is her striking. Santos hits hard and fast, keeping things simple without too much excess movement.

She will likely be matched up with an opponent in the top 10 next, which will truly give us an indication as to how she would fare against Valentina Shevchenko.

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#1. Miranda Maverick vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Miranda Maverick is already one of the toughest tests for any fighter inside the women's 125lb division. She is a relentless grappler with excellent cardio and impressive durability.

Maverick may well have already been on her way to facing Shevchenko, but an extremely contentious split decision loss to Maycee Barber slowed her ascent up the rankings.

However, Maverick has the skills to defeat anyone in the division right now, and fans can certainly expect to see her in a top contender position very soon.