How Long Will Valentina Shevchenko Rule The Women’s Flyweight Division?

How Long Will Valentina Shevchenko Rule The Women’s Flyweight Division?

In the UFC 306 co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko defeated Alexa Grasso to regain the UFC women’s flyweight title. Previously, she held the title for six years while defending it seven times. Now, that the belt is back around her waist can she continue to add title defenses to her resume? Let’s discuss.

How good is the current version of Shevchenko

I do not think it is a secret that Shevchenko has regressed. In her prime, she was untouchable. That is not the case anymore. At 36, it is impossible to say she is as great as she once was. The question is whether she is still good enough to defend the belt.

I have not been overly impressed with Shevchenko’s recent run of fights. In her UFC 306 title bout, she used offensive wrestling to win the belt. In my opinion, that was a result of Grasso’s struggles in that realm rather than Shevchenko’s strengths. After all, Shevchenko struggled in the grappling realm against Taila Santos in 2022. Yes, she won that fight, but Santos was the one who deserved to get her hand raised. In the time since that fight, has she gotten better at grappling or is Grasso a bad grappler? I believe it’s the latter. As we move forward, how can we expect Shevchenko to win fights with her grappling?

As far as striking goes, Shevchenko is not as strong in that realm, either. At a minimum, Shevchenko is much slower and less durable than she used to be. At one point in time, she was miles better than opponents on the feet. I do not think that is the case anymore. At 36, she does not seem as durable. At one point in her career, Shevchenko fought Amanda Nunes twice. In ten rounds of fighting, she was never dropped. In her rematch with Grasso, she was dropped in the second round. The power difference between them is massive, but Grasso manages to drop her.

To be clear, I do not think Shevchenko is bad. I still think she is a high-level fighter. The point is that she is no longer the fighter who defended her title seven times and can be beaten.

The UFC women’s flyweight division is red hot

Shevchenko’s future title challengers are going to be tough. The division is in amazing shape as young fighters continue to improve and climb up the rankings. The division currently features Manon Fiorot, Erin Blanchfield, Natalia Silva, Maycee Barber, Rose Namajunas, Grasso, and others. That is a great list of potential title challengers. In all honesty, it is much better than the crop of fighters Shevchenko was fighting in her first title reign.

Shevchenko’s first title defense should come against Fiorot. In the UFC Atlantic City main event, she looked tremendous throughout five rounds as she dominated Erin Blanchfield. If that performance does not earn her a title shot, there should be a riot.

The verdict

If you cannot tell, I am not bullish on the idea that Shevchenko will produce another lengthy title reign. All things considered, I believe Shevchenko is regressing and she will be forced to fight tough opponents.

I would heavily favor the challenger in a hypothetical title fight between Shevchenko and Fiorot. I would probably favor other potential challengers as well. This is true while Shevchenko regresses and her opponents improve.

Shevchenko deserves a lot of credit for working back to the title after losing the belt. A lot of legendary champions end up going on losing streaks when they lose the belt. I cannot be confident she will pick up a title defense, however. I expect Shevchenko to lose the belt on her first defense. If she proves me wrong, I’d be shocked if she gets a second defense.

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