Are we getting a champ vs champ fight soon in the UFC women’s flyweight division? An electrifying matchup is brewing in the UFC with Valentina Shevchenko expressing her desire to compete in a super fight against Zhang Weili. What’s better? Even Dana White hinted at the same. But is this all going to come easily? Well, there’s just one hurdle along the way.

Shevchenko has shown interest in fighting a fellow champ, but she has one condition for Dana White. She wants to get past Manon Fiorot in the UFC 315 co-main event in May, and then move on to a possible super fight. But in terms of fighting Zhang, she said the following to MMA Junkie, “I’m open to all opportunities. “Weili showed a lot of heart in her fights, and with all the years that she’s put into her performances, she’s shown that she’s a great fighter. Why not? It’s an amazing fight and I think all the fans are going to be excited to see that.”

Here’s the kicker. After Zhang Weal’s incredible showing at UFC 312, murmurs of a possible move up to challenge for the flyweight throne began making the rounds. The strawweight title holder had announced her desire to move up to flyweight and capture a second strap after her fight and dominating win over Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312. But the timing does not align well for ‘Bullet’ as she first has to defend her strap against Fiorot before putting it up against Weili. Her condition is this—if Weili wants a shot at her belt, she will have to wait.

“For me, as I say every time, it’s one step at a time,” Shevchenko said. “I’m not looking to jump in front to do something like that. I am focused on my next fight right now. It’s going to be Manon, and after we’re done with that and I step forward, me and my team are going to think and see what is next for me.”, Shevchenko added.

After the historical title defense against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300, Weili was supposed to fight the undefeated Tatiana Suarez in the UFC 312 co-main event. ‘Magnum’ came in as the underdog in this fight but dominated Suarez and blemished the Mexican-American fighter’s undefeated record to hand her the first-ever career loss. Dana White was very impressed with the champ and the boss even hinted that the super fight between Shevchenko and Weili was “a possibility.” As of now, Zhang Weili is his entry point into the Chinese MMA market.

Dana White impressed with Zhang Weili and sees a bright future for her

With her latest title defense in place against Suarez, what is next for Weili? Well, Dana White gave us a hint. While expressing interest in a champ vs champ showdown, he also spoke about how big a star she is for the promotion. The CEO stated, “Such a huge, huge star in China for us. She trended number one four times during fight week. 100 million views just on UFC platforms in China. And tonight, she was trending number one in all big territories for us.” 

Dana White is always locking in wherever there are good gains and since Weili is a champ and has made a huge impact on UFC, the head honcho will capitalize on it. Dana White will use her star power when UFC visits China for an event in the future.

Valentina Shevchenko, on the other hand, got her belt back after a grueling trilogy bout win over Alexa Grasso at UFC 306. ‘Bullet’ is ready for new opportunities and said in the post-fight interview, “I’m here. I’m ready to fight anyone. You know myself. Once the UFC offers a fight and I agree to it, I never decline any names.” 

A Zhang Weili vs Shevchenko superfight will do wonders in terms of generating hype for whichever PPV it features. What do you think about this fight? Will they clash in 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments below.