Valentina Shevchenko

Dominant two-time UFC Women's Flyweight Champion who reclaimed the title in September 2024 and has since retained it against Fiorot and Zhang Weili.

Valentina Anatolyevna Shevchenko was born on 7 March 1988 in Frunze, in the Kirghiz SSR of the Soviet Union (now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan), to a Russian-Ukrainian military family; her mother, Elena, served as president of Kyrgyzstan's national Muay Thai association. Valentina began taekwondo at five and won a kickboxing bout against a fighter a decade older at just 12. At 15, Shevchenko and her older sister, Antonina, left Kyrgyzstan with their coach to seek tougher competition abroad, embarking on what became an eight-year odyssey through Latin America, ultimately settling in Peru, where she learned Spanish and continued her combat sports development. Shevchenko, nicknamed "Bullet," became one of only a handful of athletes to win professional championships across Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts, and won the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship, becoming a two-time champion after reclaiming the title from Alexa Grasso in a trilogy of fights regarded among the finest in the division's history. Shevchenko has continued to dominate the flyweight division while fluently switching between Russian, Spanish, English, and Thai in post-fight interviews, representing both Kyrgyzstan and Peru throughout a career widely regarded as one of the greatest in women's MMA history.

Shevchenko is renowned for her exceptional striking technique rooted in her Muay Thai background, featuring precise kicks, punches, and clinch work. She combines technical striking with strong takedown defense and solid grappling skills, making her a complete mixed martial artist. Her tactical approach and ability to control distance and pace have made her extremely difficult to defeat.

Shevchenko's seven consecutive title defenses and technical dominance helped establish the credibility and popularity of the UFC's women's flyweight division.

• UFC Women's Flyweight Champion 2018-2023, 2024-present
• first Kyrgyz UFC champion
• UFC records for division wins (12), KO/TKO wins (4), and title-fight wins (11)