Valentina Shevchenko is one of the biggest names in the UFC as far as women’s division and flyweight goes. By many people she is seen as the greatest fighter in her division, and they are not too far off. You could argue that she’s reached the pinnacle of women’s fighting, but as far as she’s concerned there’s plenty left to prove.
Shevchenko is fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and interestingly enough holds an dual citizenship with her second country being Peru. So far in her career, Valentina has managed to climb the rankings thanks to her proficiency in Muay Thai and kickboxing. Due to her fighting style the Kyrgyz got a nickname Bullet and it fits her like a glove.
It is only natural that a fighter of her renown gets all the best sponsorship deals and that’s the case with Shevchenko. The latest company to stand next to her name is the online crypto casinos Stake making her another UFC name to represent this gambling brand. As always, the sky’s the limit for Valentina, but we will take this moment to take a look at her ascension to the title of women’s division flyweight GOAT.
The Road to Becoming a Flyweight GOAT
It is not easy to reach the heights to carry this unofficial title. It takes a lot of time, effort, sweat, blood, tears, and of course wins. Shevchenko started her career back in 2015, one decade age, and made a name for herself by defeating the best of the best inside the division. Just some of the names she took down include the likes of Holly Holm, Amanda Nunes, Alexa Grasso, and Julianna Pena. The first time she took the crown was in 2018 and all up to today she held to it dearly with only a short vacancy that lasted from march of 2023 until September of 2024. She was quick to recoup and get the title back with a dominant display at Noche UFC in Las Vegas.
The Latest Coup by The Bullet
As we mentioned, Valentina Shevchenko has become an ambassador for the worldwide brand of online casino and sportsbook Stake, and that’s another win for her in our books. But, it shouldn;t be neglected that it’s a win/win situation for both her and the brand she will represent in the future. With more than 4.5 million followers across various platforms Shevchenko has a massive reach. Furthermore, she is one of the most eloquent UFC fighters and she speaks multiple languages. A global star such as her is tailored to be a brand ambassador and Stake was wise to recognize this and add her to their collection of UFC ambassadors that already has the names such as Alex Pereira, Alexandre Pantoja, and Israel Adesanya.
But don’t think that now that Valentina has another massive sponsorship deal to her name that she will rest easy on the UFC fighting. Not a chance! The Bullet remains as competitive as ever and we will have a chance to see her at the upcoming UFC 315 where she will square off with Manon Fiorot.
UFC 315 – Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot
Despite dominating the UFC women’s division for more than a decade, Valentina Shevchenko is still not ready to call it a day. Instead she has another tough test ahead of her at UFC 315. With 37 years to her name many people believe that it might be possible that father time has caught up to Valentina. Yet, what she does inside the octagon proves people wrong all the time. Most casual UFC fans believed that she was done for the moment she lost the title to Alexa Grasso. Yet, it only took her a year or so to regain the title back and she did it in a dominant fashion. Today, she is more prepared than ever to take on another title challenger. After all, she has defended a title a record seven times. While it is evident that she doesn’t have fuel for more than a couple of title defence before she retires, and seven is out of the question, this one could help Valentina enter the legend as if she isn’t there already.
While we’re all in on Shevchenko as far as the putting a bet on UFC fights goes, Manon Fiorot should not be underestimated. Manon has looked incredible in every fight she’s been so far, and it was evident early on that she has what it takes to be a title challenger down the road. Today, that day has come and she will challenge the Bullet for a title at UFC 315. Fiorot is not without chances as she is entering this bout on the brink of seven consecutive wins. While the strength and talent are both there we sincerely believe that Shevchenko is favourite here once again, and the bookmakers odds show the same.
While a title bout, as it is usually the case the women’s division fights are served to fans as a co-main event, while the centre stage is reserved for the men’s division fight. While we will not allow for focus to shift from the Shevchenko vs. Fiorot bout, let’s talk a bit about the:
UFC 315 Main Event
After a while UFC is taking its caravan to Canada in what promises to be a super amazing PPV event. The main event for the night is going to be a more than casual bout between Belal Muhammad and his challenger for the night, Jack Della Maddalena. UFC 315 event is scheduled for 10th of May and it will be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Just like Shevchenko, Belal made his UFC debut some 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. At the moment he is on a 10-win streak making him a clear favourite for this one. Only a few months ago he took home the welterweight belt after dominating Leon Edwards, reaching the pinnacle of his division with an 23-3 record that has him owing 15 UFC wins. The only downside to Belal’s style and success is the fact that 75% of all of his wins came down to a decision, as he still struggles to finish his opponents.
On the other side we have Jack Della Maddalena. A fighter that had more than a slow start to his MMA career racking up two defeats before he turned his fortunes around. Yet, once he got going he never looked back. What followed were 17 consecutive wins that saw him sign a UFC contract. At the moment he is undefeated in the UFC with a record of 7:0. As far as UFC career goes, Jack is still a rookie, making his debut only in 2022, but he has proven his worth since. Unlike Belal, Della Maddalena knows how to finish a fight doing so in his first four UFC bouts. During his career he has ended his duels with a KO/TKO in 71% of his outings, which in return gave him four performance of the night bonuses.
Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena
As far as reigning champions go, Belal might be the least popular one. Fans do not like him winning his fights via decision. Despite what fans might think he proved his ability after dominating Leon Edwards. Now that the welterweight title is his, we can’t see him dropping it after such a short reign. After all, his grappling ability is at the top of UFC rankings, and with a unique ability to mount pressure on opponents we can see Muhammad doing the same to Della Maddalena what he did to Edwards. After all, that is what his fighting style dictates, and considering that it didn’t fail him so far we can’t see Belal giving up on the winning formula.
Across the octagon, Jack Della Maddalena will be looking at matters through lenses of his own. A good fighter in his own right, Jack has chances of winning this duel. While undefeated in the UFC the truth is Jack still hasn’t faced an opponent as tough as Belal Muhammad is. What Della Maddalena has going for himself is youth, as Belal is entering this bout as an 36-year old fighter with plenty of wear and tear. Pair that with Della Maddalena’s unique striking ability and we might be in for a shock when all is said and done.
As far as the bookmakers are concerned Belal Muhammad is clear cut favourite with 1.46 odds while a bet on Jack Maddalena is paid by an 2.85 odds. As far as Shevchenko vs. Fiorot goes, and we’re sure about which bookmaker you will use after Shevchenko’s collaboration with Stake, the odds do not favour the Kyrgyzstani fighter as they’re set at 2.18 for the Bullet’s win, and 1.72 on Manon Fiorot.
The rest of the card includes bouts such as Modestas Bukauskas vs. Ion Cuțelaba, José Aldo vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Jéssica Andrade vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius, Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales, Mike Malott vs. Charles Radtke, Alexa Grasso vs. Natália Silva, Navajo Stirling vs. Ivan Erslan, Marc-André Barriault vs. Bruno Silva, and Brad Katona vs Bekzat Almakhan.
If you’re interested in betting on UFC 315 here’s how you can do it:
How to Bet on UFC Fight Nights & UFC Bet Types
With the right sportsbook partner it is easy to bet on UFC fights or any other sport for that matter. Bigger sports betting outlets such as Stake provide players with sports betting guides, providing players with necessary details for bigger win percentages down the road. In essence here’s what you need to do:
- Open an account with a reputable online sportsbook provider. Once you’re registered, you need to log in, and check your balance. If you’re out of funds, the next step is necessary.
- Deposit funds into your account. If you choose a good partner in this endeavour you will be able to deposit your funds with a credit card, fiat currency, crypto, and through digital payment services such as PayPal or Moonpay. When the money is deposited, you can move onto the next step.
- Use the search toolbar on your website or the betting app and type in MMA, UFC, or the name of the fighter you know has an incoming bout. This should give you an answer to the available fight cards, the odds, and it is where the betting process starts.
- Before making a bet, it is vital that you learn as much as possible about the fight card you want to bet on. The odds do not paint a full picture, and you need to study the player’s history, fighting style, form, injuries, and everything in between before you place a bet.
- When you know your bets, combine the odds, create the slip, and decide on a bet, all that is left is to wait for the fights to be over and check if you’ve won.
If you’re completely new to the world of MMA and UFC betting you really need to study a betting guide for the named sport. If you’re too lazy to do that for your own good, here are the basic options you have when you want to bet on an MMA or UFC event:
- Match winner
- Asian totals
- Winning method
- Winning method (double chance)
- Winner and exact rounds
- Will the fight go the distance?
- Parlays
As you will see after only a few MMA bets, betting on fights is not too complicated. You only need to be into the sport, and learn a thing or two about how to bet. The rest should sort itself out. And after a few UFC events such as the UFC 315 in Canada you should be starting to have regular wins. Maybe a combo bet of having Shevchenko defend her title and Belal losing his might be where you start? It pays with a combined odds of 6.2. It’s worth a try, right?
