This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 322, the women’s flyweight title was on the line. Valentina Shevchenko (26-4-1) was defending her title against former strawweight champion Zhang Weili (26-4) in a true super fight.
Entering the bout, the betting odds were even and I was leaning towards Zhang Weili. She just demolished Tatiana Suarez earlier this year and it seemed like Valentina Shevchenko wasn’t the same fighter that she was a few years ago when she was just running through contenders at 125 pounds.
Well, Valentina Shevchenko fought like she had a point to prove on Saturday night. She just bullied Zhang Weili for five rounds and really made it clear as to why there is weight classes. From brutal body shots on the feet to dominant grappling and ground control, Shevchenko won this fight from the opening bell to the final one.
It was one of the most impressive performances of her career and she retained her UFC flyweight title.
What’s next after UFC 322?
Valentina Shevchenko made it clear in her post-fight interview that she still lives to compete and she’s not slowing down anytime soon. When asked about what she wants next, she mentioned some of the top contenders in her division and she also mentioned bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison who recently expressed interest in Shevchenko.
If I’m booking things for the UFC, I think it’s pretty clear as to what should be next for Shevchenko. Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes are going to fight sometime in 2026 for the bantamweight title. While that fight is going down, it makes too much sense to book Shevchenko against Natalia Silva.
Silva was in attendance on Saturday and she was shown after the fight. While Erin Blanchfield had a very solid win over Tracy Cortez earlier in the evening, I think the next shot belongs to Silva and I expect her to get that shot next.
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