When Valentina Shevchenko stepped into Madison Square Garden on November 15 to face Zhang Weili, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Two champions, two legacies, one question: who owns the crown in women’s mixed martial arts? The UFC women’s flyweight champion answered with a masterclass that left no doubt. Shevchenko dismantled the former strawweight queen across five rounds, earning a perfect 50-45 scorecard from all three judges in what became the defining moment of her 2025 year. It was this dominance at UFC 322 that cemented her status as the year’s female fighter to beat.
LowKick MMA’s 2025 Female Fighter of the Year: Valentina Shevchenko
But the Zhang Weili fight didn’t happen in isolation. Earlier in May, Shevchenko faced a stern test against Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 in Montreal. Fiorot arrived undefeated with a 12-fight winning streak and the second-ranked position in the division. The narrative suggested competitive territory. Instead, Shevchenko controlled the action methodically, landing a career-threatening cut on Fiorot’s nose in round one and finishing the five-rounder with unanimous nods on the judges’ scorecards. Her counter striking found its mark repeatedly, and she navigated grappling exchanges with the precision that has defined her championship reign.
The Zhang performance, though, revealed something different. Zhang came in as a division champion herself, and her pressure-based aggression presented a stylistic challenge Shevchenko hadn’t faced at flyweight in recent memory. Yet weight classes exist for reasons, and Shevchenko’s physical superiority was evident from bell to bell. She clinched early and dumped Zhang repeatedly, accumulating 13 minutes of control time while advancing position intelligently toward finishes like the crucifix. When the fight stayed standing, her distance management kept Zhang outside effective range, and when the challenger attempted entries, spinning back fists caught her cleanly. Body kicks visibly slowed Zhang’s forward momentum in the later rounds.
What separates Shevchenko’s 2025 from any other fighter’s year is the quality of opposition and the decisiveness of victory. Fiorot’s 12-fight streak before their meeting meant something. Zhang’s credentials as a four-time strawweight title defender meant something. Shevchenko beat both without complaint or drama, relying on technique, preparation, and the foundational Muay Thai mastery she’s carried through 20 years as a combat athlete. She remains the #1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world and the most dominant flyweight to ever compete in the sport.
