Valentina Shevchenko Withdraws From UFC 332

Valentina Shevchenko has reportedly suffered an injury forcing her out of a proposed October 3 title defense at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, according to reports, leaving the card without a confirmed headliner roughly a month before fight night.

Shevchenko, 38, reclaimed the UFC women's flyweight title with a decision win over Alexa Grasso in their trilogy bout on September 14, 2024, and has since defended it twice — beating Manon Fiorot by decision in May 2025 and Zhang Weili that November. Her scheduled third defense, and first fight of 2026, was set to come against Natália Silva in what would have been the UFC 332 main event.

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Silva earned her No. 1 flyweight ranking on the back of a string of decision wins, beating Jessica Andrade in September 2024, Grasso in May 2025, and Rose Namajunas on January 24, 2026.

With Shevchenko out, matchmakers are now left scrambling to add star power to a card that already lacked a formally announced main event. Confirmed bouts so far include Deiveson Figueiredo against Payton Talbott at bantamweight, a heavyweight clash between Johnny Walker and Mick Parkin, and Marvin Vettori facing Ismail Naurdiev at middleweight. Silva's status on the card, and whether she'll be rebooked against a new opponent, remains unclear.