Shevchenko vacates flyweight belt with shoulder and back ligament damage

Valentina Shevchenko will not defend the UFC women's flyweight title on 3 October in Salt Lake City. Her long-time coach, Pavel Fedotov, set out the reason on 8 September in a post on the Telegram channel Ushatayka: ligament damage to her shoulder and back.

„We were supposed to fight on Oct. 3 against Natalia Silva, but due to an injury to the ligaments in the shoulder and back, we decided not to push things and postpone the fight," Fedotov wrote. He added that recovery would take a long time, which is why the team chose to vacate the belt for now, with the stated aim of Shevchenko fighting for it again as soon as she is fit.

The UFC had announced it three days earlier

The vacancy itself was not news. The promotion confirmed it on Saturday 5 September during the broadcast from Paris. What Fedotov's post added was the medical detail — until then the injury had been described only as undisclosed.

The two accounts do not line up on how long she will be out. Reports around the UFC announcement put the layoff at roughly a year; Fedotov gave no timeframe and no return date at all.

Silva vs Wang Cong for the vacant title

The official UFC 332 event listing confirms the new headliner: Natalia Silva against Wang Cong at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, contested for the women's flyweight championship.

• Natalia Silva — 20-5-1 overall and 8-0 since joining the UFC in 2022. She sits top of the contender rankings, with wins over Jéssica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas.
• Wang Cong — 10-1 overall, 5-1 in the UFC, on a four-fight run. Her most recent win came against Tracy Cortez at UFC 329 in July. Her only defeat was a submission loss to Gabriella Fernandes in 2024.

It is a first title fight in the promotion for both women.

What Shevchenko leaves behind

Shevchenko is 26-4-1 across two reigns at flyweight, with nine successful defences. Her 11 wins in championship bouts match Amanda Nunes at the top of the UFC's all-time list. She last competed in November 2025 against Zhang Weili and has not fought since.

The rest of the card

The announced co-main event is Deiveson Figueiredo against Payton Talbott at bantamweight. Also on the main card: King Green vs Esteban Ribovics, Roberto Soldić vs Khaos Williams, and Ateba Gautier vs Roman Kopylov.

Still unresolved

At the time of writing the UFC's official rankings page still lists Shevchenko as champion, so the paperwork side of the vacancy has not caught up. There is no return date, and no confirmation that she is guaranteed a shot at the belt when she comes back — that is Fedotov's intention, not a commitment from the promotion. Wang Cong is ranked sixth on the rankings page while the event listing has shown her at eight, so even her position is inconsistent across official channels.