5 Defining Moments: Valentina Shevchenko

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From her kickboxing days to her title-winning run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Valentina Shevchenko has consistently turned in exciting performances. She plans to further her winning streak when she competes in a rematch with Liz Carmouche at UFC Fight Night 156. Ahead of the women’s flyweight title fight, read about some of her career-defining moments in MMA.

1. Short notice? No problem.

After gathering a record of 11-1, Shevchenko was signed by the UFC and made her promotional debut on Dec. 19, 2015 against Sarah Kaufman. At the time, the Canadian, who was a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion, was already on her fourth UFC fight, in search of an impressive victory. She was, however, denied by Shevchenko, who only had a week to prepare for it. Kaufman’s original opponent was Germaine de Randamie, who had to pull out because of an injury. With the win, and the fact that she accepted the fight on short notice, Shevchenko surely caught the attention of potential future opponents.

2. Successful first headliner

In only her third Octagon bout, Shevchenko found herself in the main event opposite Holly Holm, who had just lost the UFC bantamweight title to Miesha Tate. The Tiger Muay Thai representative outpointed Holm to earn the judges’ nods, 49-46 across the board. It was a brilliant comeback for Shevchenko, who was then coming off a loss to Amanda Nunes — that made it three former and future UFC champions in a row for Shevchenko.

3. Title eliminator

Following the victory over Holm, Shevchenko was matched up with The Ultimate Fighter winner Julianna Peña. “The Venezuelan Vixen” was then on a tear, holding victories over Cat Zingano and Jessica Eye. It was only fitting that the two would collide for the opportunity to challenge Nunes for the bantamweight strap. The result? Shevchenko earned her first submission in 11 years after tapping out Peña with an armbar at 4:29 of the second round. The win was also her first Performance of the Night bonus.

4. Failed title bid

Nunes exuded confidence when she met Shevchenko at UFC 215 for the bantamweight strap. Apart from beating Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey in succession, Nunes also held a previous win over Shevchenko. The opposing fighters initially met at UFC 196, with Nunes leaving the Octagon the victor via unanimous decision. While still competitive, their rematch was not as exciting as their maiden encounter. “The Lioness,” this time, won by split decision to retain her crown.

5. Capturing the title

After her second loss to Nunes, Shevchenko dropped to flyweight and regained her confidence with a dominant submission stoppage of Priscila Cachoeira. She then challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant women’s flyweight championship at UFC 231. Shevchenko displayed dominant form, outstriking the former strawweight queen and taking her down a total of five times. With her victory, Shevchenko finally achieved her dream of holding UFC gold. She would later make a successful title defense by knocking out the very tough Jessica Eye with a head kick at UFC 238.