Valentina Shevchenko talks up super fight with Zhang Weili after UFC 315: ‘The fans would love to see it’
Undisputed flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko has once more welcomed the chance to share the Octagon with incumbent strawweight best, Zhang Weili in the near future — claiming fans would “love” to see the duo face off sooner than later.
Shevchenko, the current undisputed flyweight champion, will return to action at UFC 315 in May, taking on the surging French contender, Manon Fiorot in a co-main event clash in Montreal.
And regaining the flyweight title back in September in a trilogy fight with Alexa Grasso in the co-headliner of Noche UFC, Shevchenko would ride out an impressive unanimous decision win, recording her first victory against the Mexican star.
For Weili, the two-time strawweight queen managed to defend her 115lbs crown last month at UFC 312, handing the unbeaten, Tatiana Suarez her first-ever mixed martial arts loss in a standout unanimous decision effort in Australia.
Valentina Shevchenko again plays up Zhang Weili showdown
However, missing out on a super fight for a second Octagon crown next to the streaking Nice native, Fiorot, Weili has been offered a chance by Shevchenko to fight in the future, with the latter welcoming a super fight between them.
“In my perspective, I knew that I was going to defend my belt against Manon (Fiorot), and then (Zhang) Weili called me out,” Valentina Shevchenko told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. “I thought it might be a slight change, but when UFC reached out with the final agreement for the fight, it was the same was hat we had an idea for before all this happened.
But yeah, I think Weili is a great fighter, and she showed that she can be successful for many years,” Valentina Shevchenko continued. “… But I think making this fight, it’s going to be a huge fight for the all-female sport and like all the right negotiations that have to be done leading to this fight. I think this is all we have to be focusing on, like, moving forward. But for now, let’s focus on the fight [with Fiorot], what I’m going to have in the two months in Montreal.”
