Two new UFC world champions were crowned this weekend in Las Vegas, with Merab Dvalishvili dethroning Sean O’Malley in the main event after Valentina Shevchenko earned her revenge over Alexa Grasso to re-capture gold.
Now that both ‘The Bullet’ and Alexa Grasso have secured their place in the history books with the first-ever UFC women’s trilogy fight, attention quickly turns to what could be next for the newly minted, familiar face sitting atop the flyweight tree.
Valentina Shevchenko regains her UFC flyweight title with impressive win
After their 2023 rematch ended in a controversial draw, Valentina Shevchenko recaptured her flyweight title at UFC 306 with a dominant performance under the bright lights of The Sphere, with the scorecards reading 50-45, 50-45, and once again, 50-45 all in favor of ‘The Bullet’.
Aside from a few submission attempts from the Mexican superstar, Shevchenko’s win never really looked in doubt as she went 8-for-12 on takedowns, scored 16 minutes of control time and out-struck Grasso 45-18 on significant strikes.
Yet with that rivalry now 1-1 (plus one draw), could there be room for a history-making fourth fight between Grasso and Shevchenko?
Shevchenko discusses what’s next after beating Alexa Grasso at Noche UFC
Speaking with Megan Olivi via the ESPN MMA YouTube channel after UFC 306 came to its conclusion, the new UFC flyweight champion was quick to push back on the idea of facing Alexa Grasso for a fourth time.
“I don’t think a fourth fight [against Grasso] is what people really want to see, I kind of feel like they are ready to move a little bit on from that.
“I’m the fighter who’s been in this business for a long time and I am ready to fight anyone,” explained Shevchenko, who then acknowledged that there’s a ‘Beast’ hailing from France who has been patiently waiting for her shot.
“I know that Manon Fiorot has been waiting on the line for a long time already… I am the fighter who is ready to fight anywhere, anyhow, any-who so this is the most important.”
Manon Fiorot is currently the #2 ranked flyweight in the world, is on an outstanding 14-fight winning streak and actually weighed in as the backup fighter for the UFC 306 co-main event.
“I am a fighter who every time, all of my career, I wanted to fight with the best,” continued Shevchenko at the Noche UFC post-fight press conference: “To actually be the best you have to win [against] the best and this was my mindset.
“I never choose my opponents, it’s not me, but it’s very hard to say right now [what’s next] because it was super intense preparation for this fight, not just physical but mental part is super hard as well.
“Every time you go to bed you think about what you have to do differently, what technique you have to add to your game – and now finally, first night after like five-six months, I can sleep and enjoy my sleep.”
‘The Bullet’ can sleep easy knowing that there are also some interesting fights coming up soon in the flyweight division, including #3 ranked Erin Blanchfield taking on former champion Rose Namajunas in November.
Ultimately, Shevchenko admitted that “it’s good to see new faces” in the title mix and that she’s looking forward to defending her title in this second-era of success: “I had a little delay on collecting my rubies from both sides, [but now] I’m back to work.”
With the win at Noche UFC, Shevchenko climbs to 24-4-1 as a pro MMA athlete, with Grasso dropping to 16-4-1.
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