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Valentina Shevchenko is set to defend her women's flyweight title for the seventh time at UFC 275 on June 11. She faces the tough No. 4 ranked Taila Santos, but sportsbooks aren't giving Santos much of a chance. She's a +550 underdog to Shevchenko's -800 favorite, which is just how the odds are going to look with 'Bullet' dominating the division for nearly five years.
If Shevchenko wins, there's a lot of speculation that she may move up in weight to face the winner of the Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes women's bantamweight title fight at UFC 277 on July 30. In a new interview with The MMA Hour, Valentina Shevchenko confirmed that she was interested, saying:
"I think so. There is always the chance. There is always the chance and the bigger the fight the better. I think by the end of the year it's gonna be a good fight. But also, we have to see ... Miesha Tate is coming to 125 [pounds] in July. So many things can happen, many things can change. I think ... it's possible. It's very, very, very possible."
As for whether Valentina Shevchenko would try to defend both belts if she won, 'Bullet' said:
"One step at a time. I do first the move and then I think what the next plan I'm going to do."
Watch Valentina Shevchenko discuss moving up to women's bantamweight to fight for a title below:
Shevchenko has a lot of history with both Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena. She is 0-2 against Nunes, having lost a three-round decision to 'The Lioness' in 2016 and a five-round title fight in 2017. She fared better against Pena, beating the current women's bantamweight champion via armbar in 2017.
Valentina Shevchenko weighs in on the Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes rematch at UFC 277
Asked what she thought of Amanda Nunes' upset loss to Julianna Pena in December 2021, Valentina Shevchenko admitted it wasn't surprising to her given how Nunes looked on fight week. She told The MMA Hour:
"I wasn't in shock. Of course it was surprising, but the other thing, I didn't see Amanda in the same fight shape as she used to be in the fight. For example when we fought together she was completely different eyes, different everything. For the Juliana fight she looked a little more relaxed, I don't know how she prepared for this fight but she looked differently."
As for the rematch, Shevchenko said:
"Depends on what mental shape they gonna be. I'm going to say with Julianna Pena, she's the champion now, there's a lot more attention. This can affect your mental preparation. At the same time, Amanda, we don't know what is going on, maybe family, maybe whatever. So it can also be what preparation she can have. But I will say if they both gonna be very ready for the fight, wanna fight, wanna be in the fight, I would say Amanda will take the rematch."
