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During every dominant champion’s reign, there comes a point when the aura of invincibility fades. Fortunately for Valentina Shevchenko, that moment did not coincide with the loss of her flyweight title.
Looking vulnerable for the first time since moving to 125 pounds, Shevchenko showcased her mettle in earning a hard-fought split-decision triumph against Taila Santos in the UFC 275 co-main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on Saturday night. Santos controlled large portions of the fight through her grappling, but a swollen right eye due to an accidental clash of heads along with a fade in the championship rounds ultimately led to her demise. However, Santos only served to raise her stock in defeat, and an immediate rematch is not out of the realm of possibility considering most opponents have not even been remotely competitive against Shevchenko. For now, “Bullet” retains her No. 1 position in the pound-for-pound rankings, avoiding the fate that befell Amanda Nunes this past December.
Elsewhere, Weili Zhang put an emphatic stamp on her top contender candidacy at strawweight with a spinning backfist knockout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a rematch of their 2020 classic. The victory ensures Zhang of a future title shot against recently-crowned strawweight queen Carla Esparza, while the disappointing setback sends Jedrzejczyk, a longtime pound-for-pound staple, into retirement — at least for the time being.
1. Valentina Shevchenko (23-3) | UFC [1]
Shevchenko survived the most difficult title defense of her career to date, edging Taila Santos via split decision in the UFC 275 co-main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on June 11. For much of the bout, “Bullet” struggled against her Brazilian foe in the clinch and on the mat, but the reigning flyweight queen got stronger as the fight progressed to earn her eighth victory in a UFC championship bout. Given the competitive nature of the fight, perhaps the calls for Shevchenko to move up to bantamweight will cease for the time being, as a rematch with Santos could potentially be in store.2. Julianna Pena (11-4) | UFC [2]
Pena entered UFC 269 as a massive underdog, and she exited the event with the biggest upset of 2021 along with the bantamweight title in tow. A tenacious Pena survived a slugfest with Amanda Nunes and when her Brazilian foe fatigued, “The Venezuelan Vixen” capitalized with a takedown and rear-naked choke submission. Pena, who is victorious in seven of nine Octagon appearances, coached opposite Nunes on “The Ultimate Fighter 30” and will face the Brazilian in a bantamweight championship rematch in the UFC 277 main event.3. Amanda Nunes (21-5) | UFC [3]
Nunes was a victim of 2021’s biggest upset at UFC 269, as she suffered a second-round submission loss to Julianna Pena in the evening’s co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Nunes emptied her gas tank in a firefight against “The Venezuelan Vixen” in Round 2, and once she was unable to get the knockout, she succumbed to a rear-naked choke to relinquish the bantamweight belt. Nunes coached against Pena on “The Ultimate Fighter 30” and will attempt to regain her title in a rematch at UFC 277 on July 30.4. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (26-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [4]
It took a little bit longer than their first meeting, but “Cyborg” nonetheless improved to 2-0 against Arlene Blencowe with a unanimous decision triumph in the Bellator 279 main event at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 23. The reigning featherweight queen has won six straight since her shocking loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2018 and still looks to be head and shoulders above the 145-pound field in Bellator. A potential cross-promotion with, say, the PFL for a superfight with Kayla Harrison would be quite intriguing, however. Whether that’s realistic remains to be seen.5. Carla Esparza (19-6) | UFC [5]
More than seven years after becoming the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title holder, Esparza can call her herself a champion again following a split-decision triumph over Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 co-main event. It may have been one of the least compelling fights in recent memory but don’t tell that to Esparza, who has won six straight outings and is 2-0 against “Thug” Rose. To top it all off, “Cookie Monster” will have a shiny belt to bring to her wedding, which takes place one week after UFC 274.6. Rose Namajunas (11-5) | UFC [6]
Namajunas gave one of the most perplexing performances by a defending champion in recent memory, as she refused to engage for the majority of 25 minutes against Carla Esparza in a split decision loss in the UFC 274 co-main event. Though Esparza didn’t do much to force the issue, the “Cookie Monster” did just enough to get the nod from two cageside judges and improve to 2-0 against “Thug” Rose. In the aftermath, Namajunas was adamant that she did enough to deserve the victory, but after such a forgettable fight, it’s hard to envision the UFC being eager to book a trilogy anytime soon.7. Weili Zhang (22-3) | UFC [7]
Zhang brought her rivalry with Joanna Jedrzejczyk to an emphatic close at UFC 275 by sending her opponent face-first to the canvas with a spinning back fist knockout in the second round. It was a sharp contrast to the five-round war between the two at UFC 248, which Zhang won via split decision, but “Magnum” was impressive even prior to the knockout, grounding Jedrzejczyk and attacking with punishing ground-and-pound. Most importantly for Zhang, the victory cements the former strawweight queen as the No. 1 contender, cementing a future showdown with current champion Carla Esparza at a later date.8. Jessica Andrade (23-9) | UFC [8]
After a three-bout stint at 125 pounds that saw her fail in a bid to capture championship gold against Valentina Shevchenko, Andrade made an impressive return to strawweight with a first-round submission of surging contender Amanda Lemos in the UFC Fight Night 205 main event on April 23. Not only did Andrade reassert herself as a person of interest in the division, but she also authored the first standing arm-triangle choke submission in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. Andrade is one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history, with 14 career wins ranging from 115 to 135 pounds.9. Liz Carmouche (17-7) | Bellator [9]
When it comes to making good on championship opportunities, the third time was the charm for Carmouche, who came up short in title bouts against Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko before claiming flyweight gold with a stoppage of Juliana Velasquez in the Bellator 278 main event. The Team Hurricane Awesome product survived an early knockdown before taking Velasquez down and advancing to a mounted crucifix, where she hammered away with elbows to secure a technical knockout victory in the fourth round. Carmouche was likely behind on the scorecards before the controversial finish, which could mean a rematch could be in store sooner rather than later.10. Juliana Velasquez (12-1) | Bellator [10]
Velasquez appeared to be on the right track to victory through three rounds against Liz Carmouche in the Bellator 278 headliner, but that all changed when “Girl-Rilla” secured a mounted crucifix and rained down elbows to force a stoppage with 13 seconds remaining in the period. While Velasquez didn’t appear to be in danger from the strikes, her unblemished record is no longer, and she’ll have to wait and see if the controversial nature of the stoppage grants her an immediate rematch.Other Contenders: Julia Budd, Seo Hee Ham, Marina Rodriguez, Kayla Harrison, Katlyn Chookagian.
Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Robert Sargent, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, Mike Sloan, Tyler Treese, John Brannigan and Lev Pisarsky.