REPORT | Valentina Shevchenko, Sijara Eubanks targeted to battle for flyweight title in UFC 230 main event

UFC 230, which goes down on November 3 in New York City, could finally have a main event, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. According to Okamoto’s report, Valentina Shevchenko is likely to battle Sijara Eubanks for the vacant UFC flyweight title in the card’s headliner.

BREAKING: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks for the vacant flyweight tile will headline UFC 230 on Nov. 3 in Madison Square Garden, per multiple sources.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 2, 2018

In a subsequent Tweet, Okamoto clarified that this bout is not yet 100%.

UFC president Dana White tells me Shevchenko, Eubanks is a "done deal" but I've now been told there was a miscommunication between one of the parties and the UFC, and bout agreements have not yet been officially signed. The UFC has offered it but it's not signed. Stay tuned.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 2, 2018

The announcement of this bout comes as a definite surprise, as Valentina Shevchenko had been previously scheduled to battle former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the flyweight belt at UFC 231 in Toronto this December.

Valentina Shevchenko will enter this UFC 230 title fight having not fought since February, when she battled Priscila Cachoeira to a brutal, second-round submission. This win was preceded by a close decision loss to reigning women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Shevchenko is currently a strong 15-3 overall.

Sijara Eubanks, meanwhile, last fought in June, when she defeated Lauren Murphy by decision. This win was preceded by a loss to Aspen Ladd in the Invicta cage. Eubanks is currently 3-2 in sum.

UFC 230 will be co-headlined by a lightweight contender bout between Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz. Though Poirier and Diaz briefly worked to have their fight promoted to the main event, ideally for the championship of the currently nonexistent 165-pound weight class, their efforts were clearly for naught.

UFC 230 will also feature a rematch between former UFC middleweight champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman, and a middleweight contender bout between David Branch and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

What do you think of this possibility for the UFC 230 main event?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/2/2018.