It was one of the biggest upsets of the year when Grasso submitted Shevchenko at UFC 285, dethroning the champion. But in true “Bullet” fashion, she didn’t let the loss define her and she came back even stronger, and that showed in her last outing against Grasso in September, when she showcased her grappling dominance. Having already etched herself in the record books, Shevchenko now looks to start her second reign as flyweight champion off on the right foot. With a specialty in Muay Thai, it’ll be interesting to see how the 37-year-old matches up against Fiorot, and the threats she presents on the feet. And if she can get past Fiorot, perhaps her next matchup is already waiting in the wings.
The flyweight title isn’t the only big fight set to go down at UFC 315 in Montreal. A few fights before Shevchenko and Fiorot make the walk, a fight between Grasso and Brazil’s Natalia Silva could determine who is next to challenge for the belt.
There’s no doubt Grasso wants to get back into the title conversation and take her beltback, and shutting down a highly touted prospect like Silva could do just that if she picks up a win in impressive fashion on Saturday night.
UFC 315 Fight Week Interviews: Shevchenko | Grasso | Fiorot
Since making her debut three years ago, Silva has had a quick climb up the flyweight division, taking out athletes such as Andrea Lee, Viviane Araujo and Jessica Andrade along the way as she compiled a 6-0 record in the Octagon. Her last fight was against former champion Andrade, where she put on a dominant performance, one that pushed her into the Top 5. At only 28 years old, it’s interesting to note that Silva has over 10 years of mixed martial arts experience and could be one fight away from getting a shot at a UFC championship.
But outside of the flyweights that are competing on Saturday night, there is one more contender that could make their way into the conversation depending on how things pan out on Saturday night. Since reclaiming her belt against Carla Esparza in 2022, strawweight champion Zhang Weili has now racked up three title defenses at 115 pounds, defeating Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan and, earlier this year, Tatiana Suarez. Now, she’s looking for that next challenge, which is at 125 pounds. Zhang has expressed interest in moving up 125 pounds to face Shevchenko, and should “Bullet” leave Montreal with the belt in hand, we could have an epic fight to look forward to in the future.
