Given that she is the longest reigning current champion in the UFC, and arguably the promotion’s weakest weight class, Valentina Shevchenko is not slim on her options for her next fight.
In recent years, Shevchenko (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC), the current UFC women’s flyweight titleholder, has struggled to find opponents that pique the interest of viewers. He has racked up eight title defenses and established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, but most of his fights have felt like formalities.
However, with 2023 just around the corner, Shevchenko is positioning for arguably the most interesting year of his career, with a long list of potential bouts on the horizon.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie at the World MMA Awards, Shevchenko named Alexa Grasso and Menon Fiorote as a pair of new names at 125 pounds that she has yet to share the Octagon with. Both are in a winning streak and have a case for the belts. There’s also Teyla Santos, who handed Shevchenko the toughest reign of her career to date in a split decision loss at UFC 275 in June, and could claim a rematch.
Additionally, a trilogy fight with women’s bantamweight titleholder Amanda Nunes always looms large, and strawweight champion Zhang Weili has also recently expressed interest in challenging for Shevchenko’s belt.
So, who makes the most sense for “The Bullet” to face off next? Our “Spinning Back Click” panel of Nolan King, Farrah Hannoun and Brian “Goose” Garcia answers that question with host “Gorgeous” Jorge Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. And don’t miss watching this week’s full episode below.
The “Spinning Back Click” is released live every Monday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.
