Valentina Shevchenko’s legacy continues to extend.
The UFC women’s flyweight champion is in the midst of her second reign on the 125-pound throne, having regained the belt from Alexa Grasso in 2024.
After getting the better of Manon Fiorot to hand the Frenchwoman her first loss in the Octagon this past May, Shevchenko will next face a challenge from below.
In the co-main event of this Saturday’s UFC 322 pay-per-view, Shevchenko will fight Zhang Weili, a former two-time strawweight queen who is moving up in pursuit of two-division glory.
Like ‘Bullet’, the Chinese star is regarded as one of the all-time greats. With that in mind, some believe a victory over Weili would go a big way toward Shevchenko rivaling the consensus female GOAT.
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Valentina Shevchenko won’t crown herself as the UFC’s greatest of all time
Most regard Amanda Nunes as the greatest women’s fighter in UFC history. The Brazilian is the only female to achieve double champion status in the promotion and has two wins over Shevchenko on her record.
While some may see a victory at UFC 322 moving the flyweight queen close to and maybe even past the ‘Lioness’, Shevchenko won’t be making that claim herself.
“I have never been the person to say this about myself,” Shevchenko said in an interview with Stake. “I let the fans do the talking.
“My thing is to win the fight and be the best. Win the fight and be better than I was yesterday.
“In terms of GWOAT talk, I will let the fans call me that,” she added.
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Valentina Shevchenko would go back to bantamweight for an Amanda Nunes trilogy
Shevchenko could also further enhance her chances of being seen by fans as the GWOAT should she get her longtime wish to run it back with the ‘Lioness’.
Current bantamweight queen Kayla Harrison plans to ‘whoop’ Nunes before targeting Shevchenko at the White House in 2026.
‘Bullet’, however, responded by suggesting that the Brazilian legend remains the sole point of intrigue for her regarding a return to 135 pounds.
“For a long time, (Nunes) was the only reason why I would return to 135 (pounds),” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.
“It was just one name, unfinished business what I had with Amanda. When she retired, I lost interest for that.
“Now, let’s see,” she continued. “The rumor is that she’s un-retired, but let’s see if it’s a reality.”