Valentina Shevchenko has suffered an injury that could keep her out for up to a year, forcing the UFC to strip her of the women’s flyweight title. As a result, Natalia Silva and Wang Cong will now battle for the vacant 125-pound belt in the main event of UFC 332 on October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
The promotion announced the news during Saturday’s UFC Paris broadcast. Now, Shevchenko’s longtime coach, Pavel Fedotov, has provided some insight into the injury that forced the former champion out of the event.
According to Telegram Ushatayka, Fedotov revealed that “Bullet” was originally scheduled to face Silva at UFC 332. However, ligament damage to her shoulder and back forced the Kyrgyzstani fighter to withdraw.
View this post on Instagram
ALSO READ: Michael “Venom” Page’s UFC Future Takes Major Hit After Rankings Snub
With the recovery expected to take a considerable amount of time, the team has opted to vacate the belt rather than hold up the division. Fedotov also made it clear that the goal is for Shevchenko to return and immediately fight for the title once she is healthy again.
He said, “We were supposed to fight on Oct. 3 against Natalia Silva, but due to an injury to the ligaments in the shoulder and back, we decided not to push things and postpone the fight. 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.”
View this post on Instagram
Had the fight gone ahead, it would have marked Shevchenko’s first numbered-event main event since UFC 215 in September 2017, when she faced Amanda Nunes. “Bullet” most recently competed at UFC 322, where she shut down Zhang Weili after the Chinese star moved up to 125 pounds to challenge her for the title.
Shevchenko has certainly had an incredible run in the UFC, and while fans weren’t exactly blown away by the overall UFC 332 lineup, losing the former champion is still a major blow to the card.
There is little debate that Shevchenko belongs among the most dominant fighters in MMA history. The 26-4-1 veteran is a two-time women’s flyweight champion and has successfully defended the title nine times.
She also shares the UFC record for the most title-fight wins with Nunes, with 11 victories in championship bouts. Needless to say, her absence leaves a pretty big hole in the division.
For now, however, the spotlight shifts to Silva and Wang. Both fighters will have the biggest opportunity of their careers when they fight for the vacant women’s flyweight title at UFC 332, and the winner will leave Salt Lake City as the newest champion at 125 pounds.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
