UFC president Dana White explained why former UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko lost her belt.
Shevchenko vacated the UFC women’s flyweight belt due to injuries, and the vacant title will now be fought for between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong in the main event of UFC 332.
Now, White has shed more light on Shevchenko’s situation.
Dana White Explains Why Valentina Shevchenko Lost Her Belt
Speaking in a media scrum, White explained why Shevchenko lost her belt.
“She’s vacating, yeah. She’s been dealing with some injuries,” White said, while noting he has no update on when the former champion can potentially return to the Octagon.
It is also worth noting that Shevchenko is technically still the champion until Silva and Wang step into the Octagon on October 3 at UFC 332, at which time Shevchenko will officially have vacated her belt.
“She’s been dealing with injuries.”
Valentina Shevchenko Will Likely Get Immediate Title Shot Upon Return
When the UFC first announced that Shevchenko had lost her belt, they noted that she would likely get an immediate title shot upon her return to the Octagon, which will hopefully come sometime next year once she is fully healthy again.
Of course, the division can move quickly, and it’s certainly possible that other fighters will emerge as contenders in the meantime, such as the winner of Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso, which takes place this Saturday at Noche UFC.
In that case, Shevchenko may have to wait a little while longer to get her chance to fight for the belt, even if the UFC has said that she is next in line for the title.
We’ll see what the UFC ends up doing with the former champion, but it’s a disappointing end to her current reign as the UFC women’s flyweight champion, to be sure, as she was a dominant champion for the most part and did not lose the belt in her fights, but rather due to injuries.
As for Silva and Wang, they will duke it out next month for the vacant title, with the winner of that title bout being crowned the new UFC women’s flyweight champion.
Dana White Explains Valentina Shevchenko Losing UFC Title