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Ever since she claimed the vacant UFC flyweight title in 2018, Valentina Shevchenko has looked unstoppable inside the octagon. However, could that change in 2023?
After being pushed to the limit in her last UFC flyweight title defense, Valentina Shevchenko finally looked vulnerable. So, could there be at least one fighter capable of dethroning her?
Naturally, it’ll be a very difficult task for any fighter, as ‘Bullet’ is remarkably skilled and experienced. However, no fighter, even a decorated champion, is truly safe in the octagon.
Here are five fighters who could pose a threat to UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
#5. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso
The first fighter who has a shot at dethroning Valentina Shevchenko and taking the UFC flyweight title is Alexa Grasso, purely because the Mexican is officially next in line to fight her.
Grasso is set to challenge ‘Bullet’ at UFC 285 in March. While few fans will favor her to pull off a win, the mere fact that she’s getting the opportunity means that she can’t be overlooked.
How does Grasso match up to Shevchenko stylistically? In all honesty, not all that well. The Mexican is primarily known for her boxing skills, as she possesses fast hands, throws crisp combinations and doesn’t tend to gas out.
However, she’s never really displayed knockout power during her octagon career, and isn’t as well-rounded as ‘Bullet’ on the feet. More importantly, she’s never really displayed the kind of wrestling game that could trouble Shevchenko.
Despite all of this, it’s worth remembering that at the age of 29, Grasso is five years younger than Shevchenko, who didn’t look close to her best in her most recent fight.
When you consider that the Mexican has won five of her last six bouts, then, she should be considered a very live underdog coming into this fight – and could well end up shocking the world with a win.
#4. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos
Taila Santos probably missed her chance to cement another UFC flyweight shot when she was ruled out of her bout with Erin Blanchfield this weekend. Despite this, it’s still fair to say that the Brazilian is a very real threat to Valentina Shevchenko’s crown.
That’s because she pushed ‘Bullet’ harder than any previous opponent had been able to do when the two faced off last year. In fact, many fans believed that Santos deserved the nod from the judges after using her grappling to dominate the early rounds of their bout.
If the Brazilian were to earn a rematch, then could she be expected to repeat her performance but come away with a win instead of a narrow defeat?
It’s hard to say. Santos definitely exposed a major hole in Shevchenko’s game in terms of her takedown defense and ability to escape from bad positions on the ground.
However, she wasn’t able to submit her, only really coming close in the first round. It’s likely that ‘Bullet’ would prepare for her gameplan more accordingly if they were to face off again.
With that considered, Shevchenko would probably be considered the favorite in a second bout, but based on her initial showing, Santos would definitely be worth an underdog bet.
#3. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Erin Blanchfield
This weekend’s UFC headliner sees former flyweight title challenger Jessica Andrade face off against Erin Blanchfield. The latter is currently 4-0 in the octagon and 10-1 overall, and it seems likely that if she can pull off a win, she’ll be given a title shot.
It won’t be easy for ‘Cold Blooded’. Despite Andrade taking the bout on late notice, she’s almost uniquely dangerous in the division. The Brazilian carries brutally heavy power in her hands and she’s won four of her five bouts there, only falling to Valentina Shevchenko in their 2021 title bout.
Blanchfield, though, would almost certainly be a more dangerous threat to ‘Bullet’ than Andrade, based purely on her style.
She’s dominated all four of her opponents on the ground, taking all of them down with little difficulty. On the canvas, she’s both dangerous with ground-and-pound and also with submissions, such as the kimura she used to submit Molly McCann last year.
Given the issues that Shevchenko had with Taila Santos on the ground, could Blanchfield go one step further and pull off a win over her, perhaps by submission?
It’s a fair question, as ‘Cold Blooded’ has not yet faced a top-level opponent yet. If she can dispatch Andrade this weekend, though, it’d be impossible not to consider her a very real threat to ‘Bullet’.
#2. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Casey O’Neill
Prior to suffering a serious knee injury in 2022, it felt like Casey O’Neill was on the fast track to a UFC flyweight title shot.
Debuting in the octagon in February 2021, the Scottish-born, Australia-based prospect won her first four bouts with relative ease. It wasn’t like she was beating scrubs, either.
‘King Casey’ first stopped Shana Dobson and Lara Procopio. She then followed those wins with a one-sided TKO victory over Antonina Shevchenko, the sister of champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Her most recent fight, meanwhile, saw her clearly outpoint former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi.
Unlike some of Shevchenko’s other potential challengers, O’Neill is an extremely well-rounded fighter. She beat Modafferi by keeping the fight standing and hammering her with combinations, while she finished her other foes on the ground.
Could she take out ‘Bullet’? Shevchenko at her best would be a difficult opponent for any fighter, of course, but based on what ‘King Casey’ has achieved so far, a massive win like this doesn’t seem beyond her.
Assuming she can return from her injury with no long-lasting issues and beat Jennifer Maia in March, then a title shot could be within her grasp, making her a dangerous threat to the champion.
#1. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Tatiana Suarez
She may not have fought in the octagon since June 2019, and in fact has never fought in the UFC at 125 pounds, but purely from a stylistic perspective, Tatiana Suarez might be the biggest threat to Valentina Shevchenko’s title.
A former Olympic hopeful in freestyle wrestling, Suarez burst onto the UFC scene back in 2016, when she won the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter as a strawweight.
From there, she dispatched a further four opponents, including Carla Esparza, who went on to win the 115-pound title for a second time, and Alexa Grasso, who is set to challenge for the flyweight title next month.
However, after outpointing Nina Nunes in her last fight, Suarez suffered a major neck injury and has not fought since due to numerous health setbacks.
The TUF winner is now set for a return to action this month, though, as she’s scheduled to face Montana De La Rosa next weekend. If she can win, she’d almost instantly jump into title contention.
Based on her powerful takedowns, ability to control an opponent on the ground, and deadly finishing skills with her submissions, Suarez could prove to be kryptonite for Shevchenko.
At the end of the day, even great fighters like ‘Bullet’ can be beaten by the right opponent, and if the ideal foe for Shevchenko could be built in a lab, they’d probably look a lot like Suarez.
Therefore, the TUF winner must be seen as a dangerous threat to the throne of 'Bullet'.
