At UFC 322, Valentina Shevchenko provided a painful reminder that size matters.
All credit in the world to Zhang Weili for jumping up to 125 pounds for a dream fight with the flyweight champion, but Shevchenko
did what she was supposed to do as the bigger fighter and just bullied Zhang for 25 minutes. Zhang never managed to get any offense going and when the final bell rang, the debate of who is the best woman in the world pound-for-pound was definitively settled.
Zhang has been No. 1 P4P on MMA Fighting’s chart for some time, but Shevchenko rightfully reclaims that spot with her UFC 322 triumph. Now, we have to once again ask ourselves, is Shevchenko the women’s MMA GOAT?
When Amanda Nunes retired in 2023, she departed the game with a résumé that seemed like it would keep her on the top of GOAT mountain for some time. But Shevchenko has continued to roll in Nunes’ absence, avenging a loss to Alexa Grasso, fending off a dangerous Manon Fiorot, and now making easy work of her most accomplished active contemporary. Shevchenko also recorded her 11th UFC championship fight win, tying Nunes’ record on the women’s list.
In Nunes’ favor is her status as a two-division champion (despite bantamweight and featherweight being among the weaker divisions), an absurd 14-1 run to close out her career (including numerous one-sided beatdowns of her opposition), and signature wins over Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, and Miesha Tate. Oh, and she’s also holds two wins over Shevchenko, though the second was an exceedingly close toss-up that neither fighter should be crowing about.
At the very least, there’s a conversation to be had, especially with Shevchenko still having a healthy lineup of challengers with which to potentially add to her legacy. On the other hand, Nunes could strengthen her case if she comes out of retirement and defeats current bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison.
Either way, appreciate the greats while we have them, because it could be some time before we see the likes of Shevchenko, Zhang, Nunes, and Cyborg ever again.
WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
Over on the men’s side, there isn’t a dramatic shift in the aftermath of UFC 322, with newly crowned welterweight champion Islam Makhachev already holding on to the No. 1 spot due to his lightweight excellence. However, eagle-eyed readers will notice that since our most recent Men’s Pound-for-Pound tally, Makhachev’s hold on the top of the list has tightened.
Previously, Makhachev had three first place votes, with Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili also earning a nod from our panelists. This month, it’s all Makhachev, with our panel unanimously voting him No. 1.
Merab Dvalishvili and Alexandre Pantoja still have a say before the end of 2025, with both scheduled to defend their titles at UFC 323, but they’d have to put on some truly inspiring performances on Dec. 6 to surpass the newest member of The Champ-Champ Club.
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
A refresher on the ground rules:
- The five-person voting panel consists of MMA Fighting staffers Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew.
- Fighters will be removed from the rankings if they do not compete within 18 months of their most recent bout in a given weight class. Updates to the rankings are typically completed following each month’s UFC pay-per-view.
- Should a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will decide whether that fighter should immediately be removed from the rankings or maintain their position until further notice. (Let’s put it this way: We’d have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings a lot quicker than the UFC did.)
- Holding a promotion’s title does not guarantee that fighter will be viewed as the best in their promotion. Additionally, fighters who regularly compete or hold titles in multiple weight classes are eligible to be ranked in multiple lists.
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.
