Valentina Shevchenko regained the UFC women’s flyweight title in September 2024 with a unanimous decision victory over Alexa Grasso at UFC 306. On Saturday, May 10, the defending champ makes the first defense of her second title reign against the No. 2 ranked contender, Manon Fiorot. Shevchenko and Fiorot meet in the co-main event of the UFC 315 pay-per-view card. We look at betting odds, line movement, preview, picks, and predictions for the Shevchenko vs. Fiorot matchup on the UFC 315 fight card.
The main event of the ESPN+ streaming PPV card finds UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad making his first defense of his title. Muhammad faces the No. 5 ranked Jack Della Maddalena in that contest.
UFC 315 takes place on Saturday, May 10, from Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
UFC 315 Fight Card Co-Main Event: Valentina Shevchenko Vs. Manon Fiorot
Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1) has been with the UFC since December 2015, when the promotion signed her as a short-notice replacement for Germaine de Randamie against Sarah Kaufman on a UFC on FOX card. Shevchenko won that bantamweight fight by split decision.
Shevchenko stayed at 135 for her next four fights, going 2-2. Her wins came against former UFC champ Holly Holm and future titleholder Julianna Pena. Her losses, both by decision, came against Amanda Nunes, including a September 2017 split decision setback against then-champ Nunes.
Following her loss to Nunes, Shevchenko dropped to 125 pounds and went on one of the most impressive runs in the history of the UFC women’s divisions.
She put an absolute beating on Priscila Cachoeira in her UFC 125-pound debut. In her next fight, Shevchenko faced ex-women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight title. Shevchenko won that scrap via decision.
She then defended her title seven times before falling to Grasso at UFC 285. The two then fought to a split draw in a September 2023 scrap. The trilogy fight between the two saw Shevchenko walk away from UFC 306 with the title back in her hands.
Shevchenko holds the following records in the UFC women’s flyweight division:
Most wins: 10
Most KO/TKO wins: 4
Longest winning streak: 9
Most title fight wins: 9
Most fight time: 3:42:47
Most control time: 1:25:33
Most top position time: 1:14:08
Fewest strikes absorbed per minute: 1.75
Total strikes landed: 1,790
Takedowns landed: 47
Manon Fiorot (12-1) enters her second UFC main event with a perfect 7-0 record with the promotion. The 35-year-old is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women’s 125-pound rankings.
Fiorot, a former UAE Warrior’s flyweight champ, joined the UFC in 2021. In her first fight with the promotion, Fiorot defeated Victoria Leonardo via knockout. Since then, she has steadily climbed the rankings.
In her past two bouts, Fiorot has defeated former UFC champion Rose Namajunas and rising Erin Blanchfield, who was on a nine-fight winning streak heading into their UFC Fight Night main event in March 2024. Fiorot has not competed since she topped Blanchfield by decision in that five-round scrap.
UFC 315 Fight Card: Valentina Shevchenko Vs. Manon Fiorot Betting Odds And Line Movement
When BetOnline first announced the opening odds for this matchup, Fiorot was the -120 favorite over the +100 Shevchenko. The betting line has moved slightly, but the challenger remains the favorite at -138 over the champion, who is the +118 betting underdog heading into the UFC 315 co-main event.
UFC 315 Fight Card Co-Main Event Tale Of The Tape: Valentina Shevchenko Vs. Manon Fiorot
Valentina Shevchenko
Age: 37
Height: 5’ 5”
Reach: 66”
Stance: Southpaw
Manon Fiorot
Age: 35
Height: 5’ 7”
Reach: 65”
Stance: Orthodox
UFC 315 Fight Card Fight Card Predictions and Picks: Valentina Shevchenko Vs. Manon Fiorot Co-Main Event
UFC 315 is a tough assignment for Valentina Shevchenko’s first fight with someone other than Alexa Grasso since 2023. Manon Fiorot is a powerful striker, with a lot of strength. If Shevchenko finds herself outmatched in the striking department in this matchup, she will struggle to get takedowns. If the champ then finds herself on defense on the feet, she will likely have a rough go of things as Fiorot hits hard and has decent output, which will allow her to rack up damage.
The betting pick is for Fiorot to walk out of Bell Centre on Saturday night as the UFC women’s flyweight champion.
We will have more on the UFC 315 Shevchenko vs. Fiorot scrap as fight night nears, as well as live results, reactions, highlights and more for the UFC 315 pay-per-view card on fight night.