Fight Coverage
Flyweights In The Spotlight In Montreal
Two Big Fights Set To Go Down At 125 Pounds Saturday Night At UFC 315 In Montreal
Since March of 2023, the flyweight division has been run between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso.
After racking up seven successful title defenses, Shevchenko lost the belt to Grasso back in 2023. The two ran it back for the inaugural Noche UFC event a few months later, when Grasso retained the belt after a split draw. The trilogy ended last September, as Shevchenko gained her belt back after picking up a unanimous decision win inside Sphere.
Now, Shevchenko begins her second reign as flyweight queen with a new opponent in front of her in France’s Manon Fiorot. It’s a fun new test for Shevchenko, who has faced the best of the best in the division, such as Grasso, Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
READ: Coach Conversation | Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot
Fiorot made her UFC debut back in January 2021, and she stepped onto the scene in impressive fashion, securing a second-round TKO over Victoria Leonardo in Abu Dhabi. “The Beast” has only tasted defeat once and it was in her professional debut in 2018,when she lost by unanimous decision. Since then, she has remained perfect, and is undefeated inside the Octagon, with seven wins.
With a background in karate, Fiorot has shown off her striking abilities inside the Octagon, with six of her twelve wins ending by knockout. She lands an average of 6.26 strikes per minute, which is three times the UFC average of 2.5. In her last two fights, Fiorot was able to pick up wins over Erin Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas, cementing herself as a true threat at 125 pounds, and now she gets to face the best the flyweight division has to offer.
It was one of the biggest upsets of the year when Grasso submitted Shevchenko at UFC 285, dethroning the champion. But in true “Bullet” fashion, she didn’t let the loss define her and she came back even stronger, and that showed in her last outing against Grasso in September, when she showcased her grappling dominance. Having already etched herself in the record books, Shevchenko now looks to start her second reign as flyweight champion off on the right foot. With a specialty in Muay Thai, it’ll be interesting to see how the 37-year-old matches up against Fiorot, and the threats she presents on the feet. And if she can get past Fiorot, perhaps her next matchup is already waiting in the wings.
The flyweight title isn’t the only big fight set to go down at UFC 315 in Montreal. A few fights before Shevchenko and Fiorot make the walk, a fight between Grasso and Brazil’s Natalia Silva could determine who is next to challenge for the belt.
There’s no doubt Grasso wants to get back into the title conversation and take her beltback, and shutting down a highly touted prospect like Silva could do just that if she picks up a win in impressive fashion on Saturday night.
UFC 315 Fight Week Interviews: Shevchenko | Grasso | Fiorot
Since making her debut three years ago, Silva has had a quick climb up the flyweight division, taking out athletes such as Andrea Lee, Viviane Araujo and Jessica Andrade along the way as she compiled a 6-0 record in the Octagon. Her last fight was against former champion Andrade, where she put on a dominant performance, one that pushed her into the Top 5. At only 28 years old, it’s interesting to note that Silva has over 10 years of mixed martial arts experience and could be one fight away from getting a shot at a UFC championship.
But outside of the flyweights that are competing on Saturday night, there is one more contender that could make their way into the conversation depending on how things pan out on Saturday night. Since reclaiming her belt against Carla Esparza in 2022, strawweight champion Zhang Weili has now racked up three title defenses at 115 pounds, defeating Amanda Lemos, Yan Xiaonan and, earlier this year, Tatiana Suarez. Now, she’s looking for that next challenge, which is at 125 pounds. Zhang has expressed interest in moving up 125 pounds to face Shevchenko, and should “Bullet” leave Montreal with the belt in hand, we could have an epic fight to look forward to in the future.
UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena took place live from Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, Canada on May 10, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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