5 rising women's flyweight prospects who could one day dethrone Valentina Shevchenko
![Valentina Shevchenko [Image Courtesy: @bulletvalentina on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/7d578-16329506771936-800.jpg?w=500)
Valentina Shevchenko is by far one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the entire UFC right now. She is leaps and bounds ahead of all of the top contenders in her division. She recently put on a near-perfect performance against Lauren Murphy at UFC 266.
She has also defeated many of the other top-ranked women's flyweights, having TKO'd Jessica Andrade, outpointed Jennifer Maia and knocked Jessica Eye out cold with a brutal head kick.
It now seems that to look for true competition, Valentina Shevchenko may well have to look to the rising prospects of her division, rather than the established contenders. Whilst women's flyweight has previously been criticized on account of its shallow talent pool, the division has a surprising number of young prospects.
In the following list we breakdown five women's flyweight prospects who could potentially defeat Valentina Shevchenko. Honorable mentions go to Mayra Bueno Silva, Maycee Barber, and Erin Blanchfield.
#5. Tracey Cortez vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Currently 3-0 inside the UFC, Tracey Cortez is being billed as one of the flyweight division's brightest future stars. Her striking occasionally leaves something to be desired, but her wrestling game is amongst the best in the entire division.
She has multiple victories over high-level opposition, both inside and outside the UFC. For Invicta FC, Cortez won a decision victory against Erin Blanchfield, who has since signed to the UFC. She picked up a similar victory over Mariya Agapova on the Contender Series.
In the UFC, Cortez has dominated Vanessa Melo, Stephanie Egger, and Justine Kish. She would likely have already been well on her way up the rankings, but injuries have limited Cortez's progression somewhat, with fights against Bea Malecki and JJ Aldrich both falling through.
If Cortez is able to continue growing as a fighter, and is able to improve her striking, she could provide a problem that Valentina Shevchenko has not faced.