Valentina Shevchenko “Bullet”

Valentina Shevchenko has told UFC she cannot compete for at least a year, so the women's flyweight title will be contested as vacant at UFC 332 on Oct 3, 2026 (UFC announcement, Sept 5).

Valentina Shevchenko is a Kyrgyzstan-born mixed martial artist who has won the UFC women's flyweight title twice. On Sept 5, 2026, UFC announced that Natalia Silva and Wang Cong will headline UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, Utah on Oct 3 for the vacant women's flyweight title, because champion Shevchenko was forced out of the bout after she told the promotion she would be unable to compete for at least a year.

UFC's announcement gives no reason for her absence. MMA Fighting reported that no reason was given on the UFC Paris broadcast where the fight was announced either. As of Sept 24, 2026, there is no official return date.

One detail worth knowing: UFC's own rankings page (updated Sept 22, 2026) and her UFC athlete page still list Shevchenko as women's flyweight champion and as No. 1 in the women's pound-for-pound rankings. The event announcement ("vacant") and the rankings display ("champion") do not match yet. KIAI shows both, as UFC publishes them.

Where things stand (checked Sept 24, 2026)

UFC 332: who fights for the vacant belt

According to UFC, UFC 332 takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The main card starts at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on Saturday, Oct 3, which UFC's Japanese site lists as 9:00am JST on Sunday, Oct 4. In the US the main card airs on CBS and Paramount+.

UFC's announcement notes that Silva's last three wins came against former champions Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade. Wang's most recent fight was a win over Tracy Cortez at UFC 329 in July 2026.

Wang is the one with a Shevchenko connection. Her UFC athlete page says she beat Shevchenko by decision in a professional kickboxing bout in October 2015. According to MMA Fighting, Shevchenko has disputed the scoring of that fight in interviews.

Two title reigns: her UFC women's flyweight title fights

Compiled from her UFC athlete page (bio) and UFC event pages. Dates are local; judges' scores are from the fight data on UFC's event pages.

Per her UFC athlete page, she defended the title seven times in her first reign. She lost it to Grasso by submission in March 2023, drew the rematch that September and took the belt back in their third fight in September 2024. Her last opponent, Zhang Weili, is a former strawweight champion who, per UFC, gave up that title to challenge Shevchenko. A 50-45 score means all three judges gave Shevchenko every one of the five rounds (see how MMA scoring works).

Division records (UFC Stat Leaders)

On UFC's official Stat Leaders (updated Sept 23, 2026; women's flyweight; all fighters, active and retired), Shevchenko ranks first in these categories:

If Silva wins at UFC 332, her streak would reach nine and tie that mark. For the women's flyweight limit and how it compares across promotions, see our MMA weight classes guide.

Background and fighting style

Her UFC athlete page lists Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as her hometown and Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand as her gym. She made her pro MMA debut in 2003 and her UFC debut in December 2015. She combines precise Muay Thai counter-striking with grappling that lets her control fights. UFC's figures break her wins down as 8 by KO/TKO (31%), 7 by submission (27%) and 11 by decision (42%), with an average fight time of 19:04.

Her four MMA losses are a TKO against Liz Carmouche in September 2010, two decisions against Amanda Nunes in the UFC (UFC 196 in March 2016 and UFC 215 in September 2017), and the submission loss to Grasso in March 2023. Her one draw is the September 2023 Grasso rematch (all per her UFC bio).

In her UFC Q&A she says she started taekwondo at age five, that her Muay Thai and K-1 record is 56-2, and that she was an IFMA (International Federation of Muaythai Associations) amateur champion nine times. In KIAI's combat sports rankings she sits at the top of women's flyweight.

Frequently asked questions

Is Valentina Shevchenko still the UFC women's flyweight champion?

On Sept 5, 2026, UFC announced that Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong at UFC 332 (Oct 3) is for the vacant women's flyweight title, because Shevchenko told the promotion she would be unable to compete for at least a year. As of Sept 24, 2026, however, UFC's rankings page (updated Sept 22) and her athlete page still list her as champion.

Why is Shevchenko out, and when will she return?

UFC's announcement says only that she told the promotion she would be unable to compete for at least a year; it gives no reason (MMA Fighting also reported that no reason was given). There is no official return date as of Sept 24, 2026.

When and where is UFC 332, and what time is it in Japan?

UFC 332 is on Saturday, Oct 3, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The main card starts at 8pm ET, which UFC's Japanese site lists as 9:00am JST on Sunday, Oct 4. The headliner is No. 1-ranked Natalia Silva vs. No. 8 Wang Cong for the vacant women's flyweight title.

What is Shevchenko's MMA record?

26-4-1 per her UFC athlete page (checked Sept 24, 2026): 8 wins by KO/TKO, 7 by submission and 11 by decision. Her last fight was a unanimous-decision win over Zhang Weili (50-45 on all three cards) at UFC 322 on Nov 15, 2025.

Did Shevchenko beat Zhang Weili?

Yes. At UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov 15, 2025, she won their women's flyweight title fight by unanimous decision over five rounds, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45. Zhang gave up her strawweight title to make the challenge (UFC).

Where is Shevchenko from, and where does she train?

Her UFC athlete page lists Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as her hometown and Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand as her gym.

Sources (checked Sept 24, 2026)

• UFC — Undisputed Flyweight Title Up For Grabs At UFC 332 In Salt Lake City (Sept 5, 2026): https://www.ufc.com/news/undisputed-flyweight-title-grabs-ufc-332-salt-lake-city
• UFC — UFC 332 event page (date, venue, card, rankings): https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-332
• UFC — Valentina Shevchenko athlete page (record, win methods, bio, Q&A): https://www.ufc.com/athlete/valentina-shevchenko
• UFC — Rankings (updated Sept 22, 2026): https://www.ufc.com/rankings
• UFC — UFC 322 event page (results and judges' scores): https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-322
• UFC — Dana White announces title fights for UFC 321 and UFC 322 (Aug 29, 2025): https://www.ufc.com/news/dana-white-announces-title-fights-ufc-321-and-ufc-322
• UFC — UFC 315 event page (results and judges' scores): https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-315
• UFC — UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC event page (results and judges' scores): https://www.ufc.com/event/riyadh-season-noche-ufc
• UFC Stat Leaders — women's flyweight, all fighters (updated Sept 23, 2026): https://statleaders.ufc.com/?fighter_status=0&weight_class=WFLW
• UFC — Natalia Silva athlete page: https://www.ufc.com/athlete/natalia-silva
• UFC — Wang Cong athlete page (kickboxing record, Q&A): https://www.ufc.com/athlete/wang-cong
• MMA Fighting (news report) — Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong undisputed title fight set for UFC 332 main event (Sept 5, 2026): https://www.mmafighting.com/ufc/505923/natalia-silva-vs-wang-cong-undisputed-title-fight-set-for-ufc-332-main-event

Update log: Sept 24, 2026 — reflected UFC's Sept 5, 2026 announcement that UFC 332 is for the vacant title; updated title status, next fight and FAQ. Corrected the earlier description of Zhang Weili as "strawweight champion" to "former strawweight champion (she gave up the title to challenge)".