Rare are those fighters, both in men's and women's division, that can stand toe to toe with Valentina Shevchenko. She transcendents MMA and weight divisions. After all, we're talking about a fighter that has defended her title eight times. The Kyrgyzstani fighter took the role of an underdog against Manon Fiorot, and defended her title at UFC 315 once again. It took real courage to take on a fighter that's younger, on the rise, hungry for success, and on an amazing winning streak of her own.
As we said, it is a rarity in today's MMA and especially in UFC where many fighters take on the mantle of superstars to find someone so willing to fight for the title and defend it regardless of who is the opponent. Jon Jones could learn a thing or two from Valentina about what fighting spirit is and how to represent yourself, your country, defend your belt, and work for the company with purest intentions. The Bullet is everything we love about modern UFC and her latest endeavour in octagon deserves a full analysis as it was one of the best fights in recent memory as far as women's division goes.
If you haven't been following the prelude to this fight, this is what Shevchenko said before fight. A true champion inside and outside of the octagon, Shevchenko didn't underestimate her opponent even in the slightest. While Fiorot tried to stir the pot before the fight, the Bullet remained calm, and everything that needed to be said was said inside the octagon. If you've missed the fight here's what transpired at UFC 315 where Valentina Shevchenko once again, as we're already used to, defended her title and sent yet another challenger sleeping.
UFC 315: Shevchenko vs. Fiorot
Valentina Shevchenko put up another title defence in her second title reign. It is an interesting fact that she had vacated the title for little bit less than a year after a loss in the hands of Alexa Grasso, only to get it back against the same fighter. At UFC 315, she defended her new title reign for the first time. Manon Fiorot simply wasn't enough for the Kyrgyzstani Bullet, and this is how the fight transpired round by round:
Round 1
It didn't start well for Fiorot. The French fighter attempted to walk the walk after talking prior to the match, and her first move was to penetrate the range of Shevchenko, which backfired as she was greeted with a short right hook. It was evident that Fiorot tried to use her size advantage by being constantly in Valentina's range, but it was where the stinger first of the title defender awaited. By now, everyone should be aware that Shevchenko's right hook is a powerful hit, and we were, but guess that Manon didn't get the memo. It was money throughout the bout just like Floyd Mayweather. There was an attempt by Fiorot to change the tides of the duel by raking up side-kicks, but in addition to evading them, the Bullet kept using her right hand to create damage on her opponent. Finally it landed directly on the target as Manon failed to block a hit that reached her nose. With blood dripping all over the place, it was a clear sign for Shevchenko to continue in a similar manner and to aim for the same spot with the right hand. It was a round of pure dominance by the title defendant, and even after the first round it was clear that the strategy Fiorot had prepared for the fight was not working in the slightest.
Round 2
Round two started with a different approach from the French fighter as she was seeking to enter a clinch, with Shevchenko opposing it with a two on one defence. It was good to see that Manon is ready to try everything from her arsenal, but the Kyrgyz fighter knew how to counter and it was the work of a champion seeing her defend. What followed was a spin kick by Valentina that landed on the body, and as you could have guessed the damage initiated with her right hand was continued in this round too. Everything that Manon put to the table was countered with one hand, and there was no entering the range for Fiorot during the first two rounds. From the middle of the second round it was Shevchenko’s turn to make a few attacks, but Fiorot managed well to avoid Shevchenko's takedown, and to even hit back with a few knee kicks, and elbows. From that moment on, it was evident that Fiorot was using tactics intended to wear out the defending champion. By the end of the round, it was an even competition with Fiorot finally managing to get Shevchenko on the ground, where the difference in size was visible for the first time.
Round 3
Third round started with high flying by the Frenchwoman, with a few right high kicks almost landing. The bout was fiery as it was only the beginning, and neither fighter wanted to back down once the exchange started. At this moment it appeared that all of those people who played with some UFC betting and followed the underdog odds of 2.00 on Shevchenko were about to lose, as Fiorot landed a right body kick after a feint, and followed it up with a few double jabs. After what transpired in the first round, it was nice to see Fiorot changing her tactics entirely in an attempt to win this bout. As many experts have predicted, Fiorot was adamant to take this fight to the ground, and her attempts to initiate a clinch were getting more frequent by the third round. But, considering the experience Shevchenko has, it was easier said than done, and despite the attempts by the French fighter the fight continued on foot. Interestingly enough, even while standings, and being in slight disadvantage early on, Fiorot still managed to land important kicks such as a strong kick in midsection during the third round. What followed was an instant response by Shevchenko who countered via a spinning attack which was also a signal for Fiorot to try yet another takedown. Shevchenko was able to defend it, while getting on her back. While it appeared that Fiorot might just manage to make this tactic work, the end of the round interrupted her plans.
Round 4
As the fight moved on, many people started to believe that Shevchenko was about to have another title reign ended before it really took off. Yet, all the Fiorot's jabs were perfectly countered by Shevchenko and one of her spinning kicks landed perfectly on her opponent. While it was a powerful kick, Manon continued as nothing had happened and even attempted to enter the clinch once again as she did from the middle of round two. This time around she was successful at first as she managed to get Valentina into the seatbelt position. Yet, the Kyrgyzstani fighter again proved her worth as a champion by defending this move with perfection. Once they were about to separate, a flying kick landed on Valentina, and as she moved forward, the only thing to save Shevchenko was quick feet movement that saw her exit Fiorot's range, but it was evident that Fiorot was adding pressure as time moved on.
At moments when it seemed that the Frenchwoman would take full advantage of the situation and turn the match in her favour the best ally to Shevchenko was a spinning attack that worked ideally throughout the duel. After successfully landing a spinning kick, Shevchenko followed it with a right hand jab that even managed to put Fiorot to the ground. The French fighter stood up immediately, but wasn't able to avoid a counter landed by Shevchenko that put her on the ground once again in a matter of dozens of seconds. During the moments when it appeared that Fiorot was getting close to the tile, Valentina showed her experience and landed a few consecutive hits, with the last one being the best hit of the fight to that point.
After four rounds, Shevchenko was in the lead in what was a super close contest to that point. The first round nose hit that made Fiorot shake and spill blood, and two hits in the fourth that put the Frenchwoman to the ground gave the advantage to Shevchenko up to that point.
Round 5
While many expected this bout to last five rounds, no one expected that it was going to be this close. It was amazing! For Fiorot, it was clear that she needs a dominant last round to beat Shevchenko on points if a KO/TKO doesn't happen, and with that in mind she entered the last round. Her first attempt, which was a counter right hand, successfully landed on Valentina. After this hit, Fiorot knew that a slight advantage was on her side, and that fights could get ugly in the last few minutes. The same thing was clear to Shevchenko and she moved on with a level change which was countered by Fiorot, and when the exchange finished, it was clear that Manon was the one who exited it with more points to bout. The last three minutes of this fight were like nothing you ever saw in women's MMA. Fiery exchanges, quick short right handed jabs from the Bullet, vigorous returns from Fiorot, and more than a few seconds in clinch ensued. The last exchange of the bout was wild, and with one-two from Manon it was all over, and the final decision resided in the hands of the judges.
Official Result
When it was all said and done, it was Valentina Shevchenko who took home the victory. It was yet another title defence in her career, setting an unprecedented record in this regard. It was- unanimous decision by all three judges who judged the UFC 315 flyweight title match with 48-47, 48-47, and 48-47. While Shevchenko remains a supreme ruler of the division, Manon Fiorot doesn't have anything to be sorry about as she left all of her spirit, class, skill, and bravery in the octagon. We are sure that a title awaits her in the not so distant future.
What's Next For Valentina Shevchenko?
After retaining her flyweight title at UFC 315, Valentina Shevchenko is going to get a well deserved rest. Fiorot was a worthy opponent for Shevchenko, and she didn't have a tougher opponent since her loss to Alexa Grasso. That loss was avenged quickly, and followed up with a title defence against Fiorot which was undefeated to this point in her MMA career.
With a tad bit of luck, Shevchenko would be an undefeated champion too. If you've been following her career closely, you know that she never properly lost a fight. Back in the day, she lost twice against Amanda Nunes, which were bouts so close that they could have easily gone Bullet's way any other night. Later in her career, the sole loss in her slew of title defences against Alexa Grasso came in a match that she had complete control over, but was done in by a mistake of her own.
Today, after yet another title defence, we're going to be spoiled and ask - what's next for Valentina Shevchenko? As far as UFC is concerned, we're sure that Dana White is already plotting another title defence for the Kyrgyzstani fighter. The best opponent they have at this point, and the one who deserves it the most is Natalia Silva. She dominated Alexa Grasso during UFC 315 setting the tone for what's to come.
If that fight doesn't materialize, we all know what's next. We're talking about a superfight between Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili which was in the works for some time now. While inter-division battle would be interesting, many people are also hoping for a different outcome, and might we say a dark horse appearing. Of course, the fighter many would love to see going all out vs. Shevchenko is Amanda Nunes, if she was to return.
Whatever happens next, we are sure that Bullet will be ready for the challenge as she was so many times in the past.
