Valentina Shevchenko loses UFC belt due to long-term injury: Silva and Wang fight for the title in Salt Lake City
Valentina Shevchenko is no longer the UFC women's flyweight champion after withdrawing from her planned title defense because of ligament injuries in the shoulder and back area. On September 5, the UFC announced that the belt would remain vacant until further notice, with Natalia Silva and Wang Cong set to fight for the new championship in the main event of UFC 332, scheduled for October 3, 2026, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. According to the UFC's official announcement, Shevchenko told the organization that she would be unable to compete for at least approximately a year, which led to a change in the originally planned title bout. Her coach Pavel Fedotov then explained to the Russian outlet Ushatayka, as reported by MMA Fighting, that the problem involved ligament injuries in the shoulder and back and that the team had decided not to rush her return. As a result, one of the most successful champions in the organization's history has temporarily left the top of the division in which she had been its most recognizable name for years.
The injury changed the plans for UFC 332
According to her coach, Shevchenko was supposed to defend the title against Natalia Silva on October 3. Fedotov explained that, after the injuries were assessed, the decision was made not to risk worsening her condition and to allow enough time for recovery. Although no detailed medical report or precise rehabilitation schedule has been released, the UFC stated in its announcement that the champion had said she would not be able to compete for at least a year, while her coach spoke of a lengthy recovery process. This means that it is not a short-term postponement of a single fight, but a break that significantly changes the balance at the top of the 125-pound division, or approximately 56.7 kilograms. Instead of introducing an interim champion, the promotion decided to open the way for a fight for the undisputed title between two new contenders.
Fedotov, according to MMA Fighting, said that the decision to relinquish the belt was made so that Shevchenko could fully recover from her injuries and then return to fight for the title. Such a statement describes her team's plan, but the UFC did not specify in its announcement exactly what status she will have upon her return or whether she will immediately receive a title opportunity. In a sport in which the hierarchy at the top of a division can change significantly over the course of several months, her position will also depend on who becomes champion, what results the other contenders achieve, and how long the recovery takes. For now, the only confirmed facts are that Shevchenko will not compete at UFC 332 and that a new champion will be crowned on October 3.
The end of another chapter for one of the most dominant UFC champions
Her departure from the throne is particularly significant because of the place Shevchenko holds in the history of the women's flyweight division. She first won the vacant UFC title in December 2018 at UFC 231, when she defeated former strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk by unanimous decision. During her first period at the top, she built one of the longest and most successful title-defense streaks in modern women's MMA before Alexa Grasso defeated her by submission in March 2023. Their rematch in September of the same year ended in a split draw, so the question of the champion was postponed until the third fight. In September 2024 at UFC 306 in Las Vegas, Shevchenko again defeated Grasso by unanimous decision and began her second reign at the top of the division.
After regaining the title, she continued defeating the strongest opponents. In May 2025, she beat Manon Fiorot by unanimous decision, and then on November 15 of the same year at UFC 322 in Madison Square Garden in New York, she defended the belt against Zhang Weili. All three judges scored that fight 50-45 in Shevchenko's favor, stopping the Chinese star's attempt to become champion in two weight divisions. According to UFC data, Shevchenko accumulated nine successful flyweight title defenses across her two reigns at the top, while at the beginning of 2026 the UFC also listed 11 victories in title fights. Such statistics explain why her departure from active competition is not merely a change of belt holder, but also the beginning of a different phase for the division.
The UFC's official Shevchenko profile currently lists her professional record as 26 wins, four losses and one draw. Her most recent appearance remains the victory over Zhang Weili from November 2025, meaning that a significant period without competition will pass before her expected return. For an athlete who built a large part of her career on continuity of competition at the highest level, rehabilitation will therefore be important not only medically but competitively as well. Returning after a long absence will require adapting to a potentially new champion and to a contender ranking that may change significantly in the meantime.
Natalia Silva enters the title fight on a 14-fight winning streak
At the center of the new situation is Natalia Silva, the Brazilian fighter who, according to the UFC's official profile, has a record of 20-5-1 and enters the title fight on a streak of 14 consecutive victories. In its UFC 332 announcement, the UFC highlighted that in her last three appearances she defeated three extremely well-known names: Jessica Andrade, former champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Rose Namajunas. That run of results solidified her position at number one in the UFC's flyweight contender rankings. The original plan for her to fight Shevchenko on October 3 shows that she had already been designated as the next title challenger, so the change of opponent did not alter her fundamental goal. Instead of trying to dethrone the long-reigning champion, Silva will now attempt to become the first titleholder of a new phase in the division.
Silva's rise has been marked by a combination of technical striking, speed and the ability to maintain a high pace throughout an entire fight. Her winning streak began before she arrived in the UFC and continued against increasingly stronger competition in the Octagon. Official UFC data lists five knockout victories and seven submission victories in her professional career, showing that she is not tied to only one method of finishing fights. In the title bout against Wang Cong, however, it will be especially important to see how she handles an opponent who comes from a strong striking background and who has rapidly advanced through the rankings. Silva will compete in a UFC title fight for the first time in Salt Lake City, and the fact that she has been elevated to the main event of a numbered card further increases the importance of the biggest professional challenge of her career so far.
Wang Cong gets a major opportunity after a rapid rise
On the other side will be Wang Cong, the Chinese fighter nicknamed "The Joker", who according to her UFC profile has a professional record of 10-1. In the official announcement of the bout, the UFC stated that she enters the title fight with four consecutive victories in the Octagon, the most recent of which came against Tracy Cortez at UFC 329 in July 2026. In a relatively short period, she has therefore gone from a promising newcomer to a title challenger. Ahead of UFC 332, the UFC lists her as eighth in the flyweight rankings, making her selection for the vacant-title fight one of the fastest rises toward the top among the division's current members.
Wang has a background in striking sports, and in MMA she has developed a style that allows her to use physical strength, precision and distance control. Her official UFC profile lists two professional knockout victories and two submission victories, along with three first-round finishes. Although her total number of MMA fights is not large compared with Silva's, her recent results were enough to earn her the opportunity that opened up after Shevchenko's injury. For the Chinese fighter, a victory in Salt Lake City would mean winning one of the most important titles in women's MMA, as well as continuing the increasingly visible presence of Chinese fighters in the UFC's highest-level bouts.
UFC 332 gets a new main event
UFC 332 will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The official event page lists Silva and Wang as the main event for the vacant women's flyweight title. In its September 5 announcement, the UFC confirmed that the bout would be for the undisputed, not interim, title, meaning that the winner will immediately be recognized as the full champion of the division. In the U.S. market, the main card has been announced for CBS and Paramount+, while broadcast availability in other countries will vary depending on local rights holders.
The change to the main event also affects the broader picture of the card. Silva was supposed to receive an opportunity against one of the most famous champions in UFC history, while Wang now skips several possible steps and goes directly into a title fight. For the promotion, the decision allowed the numbered event to retain a championship bout despite losing Shevchenko. For the division itself, however, the consequence is greater: for the first time since Shevchenko returned to the throne in 2024, the title will belong to another fighter, and the new champion will immediately find herself in a position where she must validate her legitimacy against a highly competitive group at the top of the division.
The flyweight division enters a period without its long-standing constant
Shevchenko was associated with the top of the division for so long that her absence changes almost every projection for the next major fights. From winning the title in 2018 until losing the belt for the first time in 2023, she was the central figure of the division, and then after the trilogy with Grasso she re-established herself at the top of the hierarchy. Her most recent defenses against Fiorot and Zhang further confirmed that even in the later stage of her career she could compete with different generations of challengers. Now, at least during her recovery, the division will develop without the champion who set its standard for years.
For Silva and Wang, this creates an opportunity to define a new era, but it also brings the pressure that comes with inheriting the title after such a dominant predecessor. The winner of their bout will not be able to rely only on the symbolic value of the belt; very quickly, she will have to face other highly ranked challengers, while Shevchenko's rehabilitation will be followed in parallel. If the former champion returns within the timeframe expected by her team, the title story could once again include her. Until then, the rankings will be shaped by the results of active fighters, and the UFC has not yet announced an exact plan for Shevchenko after her return.
Shevchenko's return will depend above all on a complete recovery
The most important question for Shevchenko now is not the date of her next fight but recovery from injuries affecting areas that are crucial to almost every aspect of MMA. The shoulders and back are involved in striking, wrestling, takedown defense, clinching and ground work, so a premature return would carry a serious competitive risk even if she were formally able to train. According to Fedotov, her team therefore decided not to force preparations for October and not to try to preserve the belt at any cost. Such an approach leaves open the possibility that she can return after rehabilitation without the pressure of an immediate title defense.
How long that break will actually last cannot currently be determined precisely from publicly available information. The UFC stated a period of at least approximately one year without competition, while the coach did not provide an exact return date, instead emphasizing that the recovery would be lengthy. No details have been released about any possible surgical procedure, the degree of damage to individual ligaments, or the stages of rehabilitation, so it would be premature to conclude when she might be able to return to full training. For now, the only firm competitive consequence is that she will not fight on October 3 and that the title she regained in 2024 is no longer in her possession.
In Salt Lake City, UFC 332 will therefore become a turning point for the women's flyweight division. Natalia Silva enters the bout as the top-ranked challenger with a long winning streak, Wang Cong receives an opportunity after a rapid rise, and Shevchenko, for the first time since returning to the throne, must watch the title picture develop from outside the cage. Regardless of the outcome, a new champion will be crowned on October 3, while one of the greatest figures in the division's history begins a race against time whose true goal will be complete recovery, and only then a return to the fight for the belt.
Sources:
- UFC – official announcement of the fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong for the vacant title at UFC 332 and information about Shevchenko's long-term unavailability (link)
- UFC – official UFC 332 event page with the date, location and main event (link)
- MMA Fighting – report featuring statements from coach Pavel Fedotov about ligament injuries to the shoulder and back and the decision to relinquish the belt (link)
- UFC – official Valentina Shevchenko profile with her professional record and results from her latest fights (link)
- UFC – official Natalia Silva profile with her record, winning streak and finishing statistics (link)
- UFC – official Wang Cong profile with her professional record, most recent result and basic statistics (link)