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.