The UFC called it an undisclosed injury. Valentina Shevchenko’s coach has filled in the gap.
Shevchenko vacated the women’s flyweight title after being ruled out of her UFC 332 defense against Natalia Silva. Pavel Fedotov told Ushatayka what happened.
We were supposed to fight on October 3 against Natália Silva, but due to an injury to the ligaments in the shoulder and back, we decided not to push things and postpone the fight.
He framed the decision as temporary.
Given that the recovery will take a long time, we’ve made the decision to temporarily vacate the belt, and once she recovers, she will fight for it again.
The UFC has said the same. Shevchenko is expected to be out for roughly a year and is guaranteed a shot at the title when she is cleared.
The card moved on without her. Silva now faces Wang Cong for the vacant championship in the UFC 332 main event on October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the first numbered event to put its main card on CBS. Silva is 8-0 in the UFC with recent wins over Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade. Wang has won four straight and beat Tracy Cortez in July.
Shevchenko is 26-4-1 and a two-time champion. Her second reign began with a revenge win over Grasso in 2024 and continued through defenses against Manon Fiorot and Zhang Weili. She has not fought since beating Zhang at Madison Square Garden in November.
