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Henry Cejudo has named two fighters he believes could throw a wrench into Valentina Shevchenko's 125-pound title reign.
Cejudo first mentioned Alexa Grasso, who is coming off a dominant win against Maycee Barber. Of her 13 career victories, four have come by way of KO/TKO. Grasso has won her last two fights and her trajectory towards a championship fight appears high.
'Triple C' also named the highly touted strawweight Amanda Lemos. The Brazilian native has looked impressive inside the octagon. Lemos hasn't lost since 2017 and has acquired a commanding five-fight win streak. Out of her 11 wins, the 34-year-old has earned finishes with her striking in seven contests.
During a recent episode of The Triple C & Schmo Show, Henry Cejudo dove into who might be next for 'Bullet':
"I still, I want to see if Alexa Grasso is willing to step up to that plate with the power she has for her hands. I'm willing, and want to see [Amanda] Lemos from Brazil step up and see what she has at 125 pounds too. So it's exciting Schmo, that's all she wrote."
Check out The Triple C & Schmo Show below:
Valentina Shevchenko has had an untroubled reign as the queen of the flyweight division and it's difficult to see where the next challenge is going to come from. However, Henry Cejudo thinks both Grasso and Lemos have a chance. The biggest takeaway is the fact that he named two contenders who pack natural power.
Valentina Shevchenko's dominance needs to be challenged according to Henry Cejudo
The Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian native captured the vacant UFC women's flyweight gold in 2018. Following a hard-fought win over strawweight great Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Valentina Shevchenko solidified her standing as one of the fiercest women to compete in the UFC.
During her title reign, 'Bullet' has earned six defenses and has left little room for doubt regarding the best fighter competing at 125 pounds. Following her finish of Lauren Murphy back in September, it's apparent that Shevchenko is on a different level to the rest of the division.
The well of opponents appears to be running dry for Shevchenko. However, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo is confident that Alexa Grasso and Amanda Lemos could give the flyweight champion a much-needed challenge.
