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Valentina Shevchenko (25-4) is a UFC legend, one of the best fighters to have ed through the company. The 37-year-old Kyrgyzstani proved once again at UFC 315 that she is still going strong, defeating Manon Fiorot (12-2) by unanimous decision to certify the first defense of her second reign as women's flyweight champion. Valentina has been competing exclusively in title fights since 2018, accumulating a total of twelve in a row - thirteen in her entire career. In addition, she was the first female fighter in UFC history to have eight rubies on her belt, one for each successful defense.
The shadow of Amanda Nunes is too big to label Shevchenko as the UFC's GOAT, considering that the Brazilian beat the Kyrgyz twice. The last one coincided with the first title fight of Shevchenko's career, which she lost by split decision after a very close fight.
With one more victory in between, Valentina returned to the fray a year later to face Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the belt, this time winning by unanimous decision. Since then, the champion has accumulated a total of eight consecutive victories that made her one of the best in history, with impressive KOs such as the head kick against Jessica Eye.
Shevchenko generated an aura of invincibility around her figure that Alexa Grasso would throw overboard in 2023, when she took advantage of a mistake by Valentina when she threw a spinning kick to submit her. This seemed to be the end of Shevchenko, who six months later would again draw against the Mexican in the rematch. A year after that draw, the two finally settled their rivalry in a trilogy that would end with Shevchenko regaining the belt by unanimous decision.
Two options on the table
Obviously, the years go by for everyone, and in Valentina's case she has managed to reinvent herself perfectly. Against Fiorot she struggled again, winning the fight after a close decision, but she certified her tenth victory in title fights. In fact, Shevchenko is tied for fifth place with Anderson Silva -13- in the ranking of fighters with the most fights for the belt.
The logical next fight for the Kyrgyz would be against Zhang Weili - the strawweight champion - to get a good payday and increase her legacy as one of the GOATs. However, if this fight does not end up being signed, she also has another fight on the horizon against Natalia Silva, which she herself has itted she is interested in
Weili or Natalia? I like both fights
"Everyone is asking me, Weili or Natalia? I like both fights. Maybe the fans can my OnlyFans and leave me a comment there about who they want my opponent to be. I think that would be a good comparison,"she said in the press conference after her victory.