UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko may already have her next title defense lined up.
‘Bullet’ picked up one of the more jaw-dropping MMA knockouts of 2019 thus far when she decimated Jessica Eye via second-round head kick in the co-main event of last weekend’s UFC 238 (highlights) from Chicago, Ill. Shevchenko took little if any damage in the fight, so she may be headed for an incredibly quick turnaround.
Potential Quick Turnaround For Shevchenko
A report surfaced from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani today (Wed., June 12, 2019) that the UFC is discussing Shevchenko vs. former women’s bantamweight title contender Liz Carmouche. The fight reportedly may headline July 20’s UFC San Antonio, a card currently in need of a headliner:
“UFC needs a main event for 7/20 in San Antonio. One option that has been discussed recently is Valentina Shevchenko vs. Liz Carmouche for the women’s flyweight title. Carmouche beat Shevchenko back in 2010. That was Shevchenko’s first pro loss.”
A Rising Force
Shevchenko has looked absolutely dominant at 125 pounds. After losing a second bout to current UFC women’s featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 215 in 2017, ‘Bullet’ moved up to the newly-created weight class. She first throttled Priscila Cachoeira in one of the worst mismatches in UFC history. Shevchenko then won the belt by defeating longtime Muay Thai rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk at last December’s UFC 231.
Her knockout win over Eye cemented her perceived rise up the pound-for-pound ranks. The potential match-up with Carmouche does have some backstory. Carmouche beat Shevchenko via doctor’s stoppage at September 2010’s C3 Fights: Red River Rivalry. It was ‘Bullet’s’ first pro-MMA loss as Helwani stated.
Carmouche has gone 2-1 in her move down to flyweight, defeating Lucie Pudlová and Jennifer Maia after losing to Alexis Davis in her UFC 125-pound debut.
Do you want to see Shevchenko defend her belt against ‘Girl-Rilla’ in a quick turnaround this July?
