It just may be that Valentina Shevchenko has reached the most dangerous juncture of her MMA career: the point when her potential foes are competitors who have spent nearly their entire time in mixed martial arts preparing specifically for her style and approach to fighting.
The 34-year-old Shevchenko won the vacant UFC flyweight belt in December 2018 with a decision win over former strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Since then, ‘Bullet’ has defended her title seven times, with her next defense scheduled for March 4—when she faces Alexa Grasso in the co-headlining bout of UFC 285.