Valentina is the most decorated champion in his history of this division and one of the most decorated across any division. While the sport passed so many others by, it seems as though Valentina has continued to evolve. As her opponents got younger and faster, she got better at wrestling. She used that wrestling in her last fight to regain her title. She had 8 takedowns with 16 minutes of control. That was important because when things weren't going her way, Valentina was able to change where the fight was. Now she is fighting Manon Fiorot who is a high level striker with fantastic power and speed. The issue for Valentina is that if she doesn't like where this fight is taking place, she is going to struggle to get Manon to the ground. I think Manon controls the striking, keeps the fight on the feet and becomes the new Strawweight world champion.
Valentina Shevchenko
Valentina Schevchenko is one of the best fighters on the planet. regardless of division or gender. She won the belt in 2018 and defended it 7 times before losing it 2 years ago. Then to defy all the odds, she won it back late last year at 36 years old. She is a phonemnal striker, very good grappler and has true champion composure and mindset. Her striking is some of the best in any division, she's very technical and has enough power combined with the technique that she is putting people away. These last few years we've seen her game evolve and shes mixing in Judo and trip takedowns very well. She has 37 takedowns in her last 8 fights including 16 against Grasso.
Manon Fiorot
Manon Fiorot is a nasty striker with killer instinct and very real finishing power. Even when she gets taken down she has the skills and the IQ to work back up to her feet. She likes to fight at range and pick her shots. She has an impressive striking differential of 6-3 but she isn't just a striker, she has takedowns in all but one of her UFC fights and has a solid 93% takedown defense. She is coming off the decision win over Erin Blanchfield where she defended the takedowns, landed lots of hooks and controlled the entire fight.
