Valentina Shevchenko's victory on Julianna Peña is outdated as good wine.
The dual UFC champion Ladies returns this Saturday in the Co-Main event of UFC 315. Valentina Shevchenko starts her second title Reign in Montreal against #1 Candidate Manon Fiorot after it has been closed from rival Alexa Grasso at UFC 306 to reclaim her belt.
In two weight classes, Shevchenko has been fighting against the best girls in the world for almost 10 years now. 'Bullet' almost took the best female hunter of all time in Amanda Nunes from the consensus, where they both lost both times due to a meticulous decision.
In between those fights, Shevchenko was raised her hand against a former and future champion to cement itself as the unmistakable #1 competition on 135LBS.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Valentina Shevchenko gave Julianna Peña the first loss of submission in 2017 Title Eliminator
In January 2017, Shevchenko would defend its top position in the division against the current Bantam weight champion Ladies, UFC 316 co-headliner Julianna Peña after beating former champion Holly Holm in her first five-round main event.
Rank on #2 in the world, 'The Ultimate Fighter 18' winner Peña rode a four-field win racing with her newest victory on former title Challenger Cat Zingano.
Thought like a striker vs. Grappler Matchup, it was Shevchenko who easily brought down Peña – two.
Peña landed a few good knees in the clinch, with a better second round with her own Takedown and top control.
Peña picked up a few minutes of control time and tried to ground and gauge while Shevchenko quickly switched for an Armbar attempt by the lower guard.
With 40 seconds on the clock, Shevchenko professionally grabbed Peña's arm with 'The Venezolan Vixen' who tried to roll out to escape. Within a few seconds after the clambering and her arm, Pena were forced to tap for her first loss of submission.
Julianna Peña is the last hunter to beat Amanda Nunes.
Valentina Shevchenko then faced Amanda Nunes
After her victory over the UFC 316 Co-Headliner, Valentina Shevchenko was greeted by former enemy and then champion Amanda Nunes in the Octagon.
The two exchanged a few words about a long -awaited rematch and went opposite the cameras.
In her last non-title fight, Shevchenko met Nunes on UFC 196, where the Kyrgyzstan-Native lost in a competitive decision. Years later, they would rematch on UFC 215 with the Bantamweight title of Nunes on the line.
Shevchenko would not be lucky with the jury members for the second time, because they lost a controversial split decision when they fought in September 2017. Nunes and Shevchenko were neck-and-neck in their rematch with 'The Lioness' who defended her title in a Close Call.
The current champion of the weight class below, Valentina Shevchenko is the #1 pound-for-pound female hunter in the UFC with Amanda Nunes retired for the past two years. All signs indicate the comeback of a nunes against the winner of Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison on UFC 316.