In the co-main event on May 10, Valentina Shevchenko will look to emerge victorious in yet another flyweight title fight.
Since winning the title at UFC 231 having previously fought at bantamweight, Shevchenko has racked up accolades as one of the most dominant forces in the promotion.
‘Bullet’ was so far ahead of the rest of the division that it even became difficult for Joe Rogan to hype up Shevchenko’s challengers before they shared the Octagon.
Having reclaimed the belt following her shock loss to Alexa Grasso and subsequent trilogy, the champion will now face the top contender at 125 pounds, Manon Fiorot.
At the Bell Center in Montreal, The 37-year-old can establish her second title reign by writing her name into the history books alongside some of the best to ever do it with a win at UFC 315.
Valentina Shevchenko can become the sixth fighter in UFC history to win 10 title fights
Since debuting with the UFC in 2015, Valentina Shevchenko has fought in 12 UFC title fights where she has emerged victorious on 9 occasions.
She was beaten by Amanda Nunes at UFC 215 before she moved to flyweight where Alexa Grasso ended her first title reign following 7 consecutive title defenses.
After putting her loss and draw with Grasso behind her by producing a dominant performance at UFC 306 to reclaim the belt, Shevchenko can earn her 10th title fight win on May 10 by halting the momentum of France’s Manon Fiorot.
In doing so, she will become just the 6th fighter in UFC history to have double digit wins in title fights, with most fans probably being able to guess the other 5 names on the list.
When you talk about the most dominant champions in UFC history, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva and Nunes all have to be first round draft picks.
Shevchenko might not have the same legacy as some of those names, largely due to the division that she’s in where she hasn’t always faced marquee names, but this is just further proof that what she has accomplished at flyweight is truly remarkable.
Valentina Shevchenko could go on to produce another dominant reign if she gets past Manon Fiorot
It was already incredibly impressive that Valentina Shevchenko regained the flyweight title following such a long reign.
She showed in her third fight with Alexa Grasso that she was still making adjustments and that her time at the top hasn’t come to an end which doesn’t bode well for Manon Fiorot, even though the challenger is considered to be the favorite.
With Fiorot already beating many of the top names at 125 pounds, if Shevchenko is able to retain her title in Montreal, the division could be looking at a second long reign for ‘Bullet’.
Her next opponent has proven herself to be the best of the rest, but after she came through the Grasso trilogy, a rejuvenated Shevchenko might decide that she’s here to stay for the foreseeable future.