Valentina Shevchenko came away from UFC 322 with her flyweight title in hand after a unanimous decision win over Zhang Weili in the co-main event from Madison Square Garden.
It didn’t take long for Shevchenko to begin stacking good moments. She hurt Zhang with a knee to the body early in Round 1 and landed a notable spinning backfist early in the round.Â
She even made a little history for good measure
Shevchenko’s size, strength and technique continued to be a problem for Zhang throughout the second round. Zhang tried to aggressively close the distance but was clinched and taken down in short order.Â
Unfortunately for Zhang, winning on the scorecards was clearly out of reach by the end of the third frame. Despite her well-rounded skillset she wasn’t able to get anything going.Â
Although Zhang survived all five rounds it was a completely one-sided affair. There was no shortage of praise for the reigning champion continuing her dominance.Â
The Bullet continued to make her case as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. She was already ranked No. 1 on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings with Weili slotted in as No. 2.
Shevchenko has now defeated six former UFC champions. Zhang came into the bout fresh off a dominant stretch as the strawweight champion and a five-five win streak.
Most recently, Shevchenko has defended the flyweight title three times. After avenging a loss and draw to Alexa Grasso she set her sights on Manon Fiorot, earning another unanimous decision victory.
Now she is tied with Amanda Nunes for the most wins in a UFC women’s title fight. That opens the possibility of a superfight coming down the pike.
“For a long time, (Nunes) was the only reason why I would return to 135,” Shevchenko said when asked about moving up to fight Kayla Harrison, per Farah Hannoun and Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. “It was just one name, unfinished business what I had with Amanda. When she retired, I lost interest for that, and now, let’s see. The rumor is that she’s un-retired, but let’s see if it’s a reality.”
Kayla Harrison is currently the bantamweight champion and Shevchenko fought in the division early in her career.
A return to the division to take on a burgeoning star in Harrison would be yet another opportunity to enhance her already-impressive legacy.
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