Top 5: UFC Women’s Flyweight Title Fights of All-Time

Alexa Grasso stunned the mixed martial arts world and captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight title when she put away Valentina Shevchenko with a face crank in the fourth round of their UFC 285 co-main event on March 4, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The tapout came 4:34 into Round 4.

Grasso never looked intimidated by the moment, though she wandered into danger on more than one occasion. Shevchenko struck for takedowns in the second and third rounds, moved into dominant positions and piled up points with ground-and-pound. Grasso was unmoved. She countered an ill-advised spinning back kick from Shevchenko in Round 4 by immediately jumping to the back and securing herself with hooks. Soon after, Grasso’s arms were in place to author a career-defining upset, and her crushing squeeze proved to be too much for “Bullet” to overcome.

The setback was Shevchenko’s first in more than five years, halted her nine-fight winning streak and brought her reign atop the 125-pound weight class to an end after 1,547 days.

Two-plus years have passed since the first Shevchenko-Grasso encounter, and it remains one of the greatest UFC women’s flyweight title fights of all-time. Four more to consider:

Nicco Montano vs. Roxanne Modafferi

“The Ultimate Fighter 26” Finale
Dec. 1, 2017 | Las Vegas
Montano ushered in a new era when she laid claim to the inaugural women’s flyweight championship with a unanimous decision over “The Happy Warrior” in their five-round headliner at Park Theater. Scores were 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. A short-notice replacement for the ailing Sijara Eubanks, Modafferi kept it competitive but found herself outmatched at virtually every turn. Montano spent much of the fight moving forward, hid straight left hands behind a sneaky jab, hit timely takedowns and even threatened her adversary with a triangle choke in the second round. Behind on the scorecards entering the fifth, Modafferi saw her chance at a Hail Mary victory come and go in tantalizing fashion. There, she trapped Montano in a tight armbar, only to see the former King of the Cage champion slip through her grasp.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

UFC 231
Dec. 8, 2018 | Toronto
What was long viewed as an inevitability became a reality in the UFC 231 co-main event at Scotiabank Arena, where Shevchenko took a five-round unanimous decision from the American Top Team star and exited the Octagon with the vacant women’s flyweight championship strapped to her waist. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it 49-46. “Bullet” was a step or two ahead of Jedrzejczyk in all phases. Shevchenko showed a little bit of everything against the onetime strawweight titleholder, from executing high-impact takedowns to doubling up on front kicks to the face. By the time it was over, she had outlanded Jedrzejczyk by an 89-78 margin in significant strikes, secured five takedowns and piled up more than eight minutes of control time.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos

UFC 275
June 12, 2022 | Kallang, Singapore
Shevchenko retained the undisputed women’s flyweight championship with a contentious split decision over the spirited Brazilian in their five-round UFC 275 co-main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Judges Howard Hughes and Clemens Werner scored it 48-47 and 49-46 for Shevchenko, while David Lethaby turned in a 48-47 scorecard for Santos. It was at the time Shevchenko’s sternest test to date at 125 pounds. Santos exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. She steered clear of danger on the feet throughout the first two rounds and took down Shevchenko on multiple occasions, all while advancing to her back and threatening with cranks and chokes. However, the tide started to shift in Round 3, where the champion benefitted from an inadvertent clash of heads that resulted in serious swelling around Santos’ right eye. Shevchenko used the challenger’s brush with misfortune against her in the fourth and fifth rounds, firing left hands and kicks to her compromised side. Santos fought through the adversity but could not reclaim the momentum she once held. Shevchenko secured a takedown midway through Round 5, progressed to half guard and shut down the Astra Fight Team product’s bid to escape.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot

UFC 315
May 10, 2025 | Montreal
Shevchenko waded through considerable difficulty to keep the undisputed women’s flyweight crown in her possession, as she earned a grimy unanimous decision over “The Beast” in their UFC 315 co-headliner at the Bell Centre. All three cageside judges scored it 48-47. Fiorot entered the cage on the strength of a 12-fight winning streak and held her own despite appearing to suffer a broken nose in the first round. She took down Shevchenko in the second and engaged her in the clinch repeatedly across a tactical 25-minute affair. Fiorot scored with knees to the body and elbows on the break, all while racking up considerable control time in close quarters. Shevchenko countered effectively throughout, mixed in a few spinning attacks and sat down the off-balance challenger when she doubled up on right hands late in the fourth round. With the outcome still in doubt, they dueled one another in the clinch for much of the fifth—neither woman gained a discernible advantage—and left their fate to the scorecards. The defeat was Fiorot’s first since in nearly seven years.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko, UFC Fight Night 227; Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso, UFC 306; Valentina Shevchenko vs. Liz Carmouche, UFC Fight Night 156; Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia, UFC 255