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Reigning UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, is not interested in any talk of having current 115-pound titleholder, Weili Zhang, move up to the 125-pound weight class for a champion vs. champion “super fight.”
That’s because “Magnum” has yet to prove she’s the best strawweight on the planet and has no business trying to claim a second strap when top-ranked contenders, like Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas, are still waiting in the wings.
“A few months ago nobody knew the name of the Chinese girl Weili,” Shevchenko told MMA Fighting. “I don’t know what number she was but because of lucky circumstances she became champion but she still has to prove that she is in the right place and she’s there because no one is better than her. Because my opinion, she still has Joanna, she’s a very hard test for her. She has Rose and she’s also a very hard test for her and she has Tatiana Suarez. So before she proves that she’s better than them, I think it’s not right to jump over the stairs. It’s not right.”
Zhang was ranked No. 7 in the division when she given a shot at then-champion Jessica Andrade. “Magnum” made the most of her opportunity by smashing “Bate Estaca” in the first round, improving her UFC record to 4-0 (20-1 overall).
Her first title defense comes against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248.
As for Shevchenko, she’s got her own business to handle in the form of flyweight contender Kaitlyn Chookagian at the upcoming UFC 247 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place this Sat. night (Feb. 7, 2020) inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 247 click here.