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Will Emergence Of Deadly Trio Push Ronda Rousey Out Of Women’s Bantamweight Title Picture?

By Ty OKeefe
Published on: 22:11 PST, Jul 23, 2016

Less than five months removed from the most devastating loss of her MMA career, former UFC women’s bantamweight queen Holly Holm paid a steep price for stepping into the Octagon with striker-extraordinaire Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night Chicago and suffered a loss that will be felt throughout the entire division.

But in the bigger picture, the women’s bantamweight division has become an unbelievably unpredictable environment since Holm proved that Ronda Rousey wasn’t immortal last November. During her absence, a trio of lethal fighters consisting of Shevchenko, current 135-pound queen Amanda Nunes, and veteran Cris ”Cyborg” Justino have all begun to push the division’s first champion further and further away from the title she’s hoping to reclaim.

In her last appearance, Shevchenko put both her weight class and the world on notice with an impressive performance that resulted in a closely contested unanimous-decision loss to Nunes at UFC 196 in March—the same card that featured Holm’s upset loss to Miesha Tate.

However, on Saturday, Shevchenko operated with Lyoto Machida-like elusiveness against Holm, neutralizing her usually effective offensive approach while forcing one of the best female boxers in the sport’s history to consistently miss her mark.

Throughout all five rounds of Saturday’s headliner, everyone kept waiting for that one big moment when one of the two contenders would separate herself from the other by landing a spirit-crushing combination. But other than an early knockdown that briefly sent Shevchenko to the mat, that moment never came, and its absence cost Holm a badly needed victory.

While some will argue that Saturday’s win should give Shevchenko a second shot at Nunes, there’s a very good chance that UFC president Dana White’s promise to give Rousey a title shot the minute she returns will interfere with common sense. Although unfair, that leaves Shevchenko’s options wide open, and a bout against Tate would give her a chance to get one more big win under her belt before challenging whoever has the title.

Immediately following the most impressive win of her career, Shevchenko told UFC commentator Joe Rogan about the effort she’s put forth in order to earn a victory of this magnitude.

”I am very excited for this fight, for this victory,” said Shevchenko. ”It’s very important for my career. My strategy was to do everything I know, put my all of my heart, my power, everything I learned in 20 years of martial arts, and I did it.”

Meanwhile, earlier in the week, Justino’s relentless desire to face Rousey in the Octagon again grabbed headlines after the Brazilian posted a Facebook message directed at one of her rival’s recent marketing campaigns.

”When we worry about marketing an image created by the media, our bigger goals are sacrificed,” wrote Justino. ”You can’t look up because your face is in a pillow after being the bully and getting your ass kicked. Being humble enough to not believe the hype around you can be difficult.

”When I see little girls rocking their ‘DNB’ shirts, and Reebok shoes in the supermarket, I think about what poor examples of sportsmanship you have displayed,” continued Justino with a remark aimed squarely at Rousey’s ”Do Nothing [expletive]” motto. ”I think about you cursing [Holly Holm] at the weigh-ins, refusing to shake Miesha Tate’s hand following your victory, and all of the mean things you’ve said about me and my family.”

In May, Justino marked her UFC debut by treating her home crowd to an opening-round, knockout-victory over Leslie Smith at UFC 198 in Brazil. But that fight took place at 140 pounds, and until Cyborg proves that she can compete at the women’s bantamweight limit of 135 pounds by actually stepping into the Octagon at that weight, a bout against Rousey isn’t likely to materialize.

Following her second consecutive loss, Holm will be looking to make a significant statement in her next appearance, and a bout versus Justino would offer her that opportunity. Also, because it wouldn’t be for the belt, Holm may even be open to fighting at 140 pounds. But much like Shevchenko, Justino is a fierce striker and could easily be the wrong opponent for someone who now needs a victory simply to rebuild her confidence.

With Rousey’s return looming and underdogs ruling the roost, it’s impossible to predict who the former Olympian will be facing for the belt whenever she does decide to grace the Octagon with her presence. Now that Holm has lost twice since kicking Rousey unconscious, Rowdy Ronda’s confidence may even lead her back to the cage sooner than expected.

But despite what White and the UFC may think, the world of women’s MMA no longer revolves around Rousey. So far, fight fans have gotten to know and appreciate a variety of other bantamweight contenders worth watching in 2016, and Shevchenko is just one of the women that Octagon addicts will want to see more of in the future.

Including Rousey, the UFC women’s bantamweight belt has been owned by four different fighters in the last eight months, and although Shevchenko and Justino have yet to get their first crack at the crown, it’s become clear that it’s only a matter of time.

[Photo By-Quinn Rooney/Getty Images]

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