Ex-UFC Middleweight Champ Exposes Why Zhang Weili Vacated Her Title Ahead of Valentina Shevchenko Fight

It’s 2025, and female UFC fighters are proving they dominate just as much as the men. Last week, UFC President Dana White highlighted this power when he announced the lineup for Madison Square Garden’s UFC 322. While Islam Makhachev moves up to welterweight to challenge reigning champion Jack Della Maddalena in a true champion-versus-champion headliner, White also teased an equally electrifying co-main event.

The co-main will feature two-time flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko against two-time strawweight champion Zhang Weili. ‘Magnum’ must vacate her title, as the UFC made it clear earlier this year that no fighter can hold two belts simultaneously—a strategy famously used by Conor McGregor that delivered some of the sport’s biggest blockbuster matchups.

Robert Whittaker questions Zhang Weili’s decision to move up a weight class

The height and size differences between Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili have already sparked discussion. Zhang stands at 5’4”, an inch shorter than ‘The Bullet’, who measures 5’5”. However, their body structures differ, a point highlighted by former UFC champion Robert Whittaker during an appearance on the MMArcade podcast with host Jonny Roses, discussing the upcoming UFC 322 card. Roses noted that a fighter moving up might face a size disadvantage. “I saw someone say it. Apparently, she is like the smallest person to go up, but I don’t know how that compares to Ilia. But anyway,” he said.

Whittaker echoed those concerns when discussing the UFC’s matchmaking for the bout. “They’re going to be fighting. I would worry about size a little bit, yeah, just because I think size is huge, regardless. People who say it isn’t don’t understand. Like, everyone, when everyone is at the top, every little bit helps. So, size in a championship fight with two champions matters,” he explained.

Zhang Weili, at 5’4”, has stood out in the strawweight division since 2018, taking on elite fighters such as Amanda Nunes and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, with her only loss coming against Rose Namajunas in the UFC. Meanwhile, Valentina Shevchenko, the Kyrgyzstan-born 5’5” standout, brings a frame that makes her both larger and more durable.

As Whittaker observed: “I think Shevchenko is one of her greatest attributes. She’s well-rounded, her skill set is championship-caliber, high-tier. She has the heart and grit and everything else. I think one of her greatest assets is her physicality.” Yet, smaller fighters continue to make their presence felt. Champions stars like Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili are shaking up the lightweight and bantamweight divisions with their skill, speed, and relentless competitiveness.

In addition, Shevchenko enters UFC 322 with a sense of urgency: at 36, she is looking to solidify her legacy after dropping the flyweight belt to Alexa Grasso in 2023 and reclaiming it in 2024. A victory over Zhang would cement her as one of the most accomplished women’s fighters in history.

UFC star doubts Valentina Shevchenko’s physical edge over Weili

Since UFC President Dana White announced the co-main event at UFC 322 featuring Valentina Shevchenko versus Zhang Weili in the women’s flyweight division, the matchup has generated major buzz across the MMA world. Although both fighters hold dominant championship resumes, questions have surfaced about ‘Magnum’s height. However, official UFC records show the two differ by just a single inch.

Meanwhile, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker notes that ‘The Bullet’, may hold a slight height advantage given their respective weight classes. It’s uncommon for female fighters to vacate a title to move up and challenge for another championship, which adds extra intrigue to the bout.

From another perspective, Irish fighter Bannon dismissed concerns about a size discrepancy. She suggested the flyweight champion may not be significantly bigger than her opponent: “I always thought Valentina was a lot bigger than she is, but when I met her in Thailand, I was like, she’s actually not that big. She could probably be a strawweight… I don’t even think there’d be much between her and Weili size-wise. There are definitely bigger flyweights.”

With excitement building around the upcoming Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili showdown, who do you think will emerge victorious when they fight for the women’s flyweight title on November 15? Share your prediction below.