Shoulder and back ligament injuries forced Shevchenko to vacate UFC flyweight title

Valentina Shevchenko vacated the UFC women’s flyweight title due to shoulder and back ligament injuries, her coach Pavel Fedotov has confirmed, ending speculation over the nature of the undisclosed injury that pulled her from a scheduled October 3 bout against Natalia Silva at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City.

Fedotov, speaking via the Ushatayka Telegram channel, said the decision to relinquish the belt was made to avoid rushing the recovery. “We were supposed to fight on Oct. 3 against Natalia Silva, but due to an injury to the ligaments in the shoulder and back, we decided not to push things and postpone the fight,” he said. “Given that the recovery will take a long time, we’ve made the decision to temporarily vacate the belt and once she recovers, she will fight for it again.”

Shevchenko’s withdrawal prompted the UFC to strip the title and rebook the card around a new championship bout. Silva will now face Cong Wang for the vacant flyweight crown in Salt Lake City.

The Kyrgyzstan-born champion had not competed since successfully defending the title against Weili Zhang in November 2025, making the layoff an extended one even before the injury setback. Fedotov’s use of the word “temporarily” signals that Shevchenko intends to return and pursue the belt once she is fully fit, though no timeline for her comeback has been given.