Michael Bisping names fresh new opponent for potential Valentina Shevchenko clash

Michael Bisping would like to see Valentina Shevchenko fight a fresh opponent on the roster that would appeal to viewers.

During a live video on his YouTube channel, Bisping answered questions on a number of MMA-related topics. He was asked whether a trilogy between Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes would ever happen and he proposed a different fight saying:

"Here's the superfight that I wanna see Valentina Shevchenko in and it isn't Amanda Nunes. I mean, I would like to see a third match of course, we all would. But I think the one that we're going to see is Zhang Weili taking on Valentina...Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili. Why not? let's do that, that's a great fight." [39:07 - 39:31]

The former UFC middleweight champion added that if the reigning women's flyweight champion were to compete against Nunes for a third time, the bout shouldn't be contested at 135lbs.

Bisping believes that she has been at a slight disadvantage in their two previous fights and mentioned that a catchweight could solve that, saying:

"I believe they should do it at a catchweight of 130lbs. Every time they fought, Nunes has the size advantage. You know, she fights at featherweight for crying out loud. She's a big lady, a big strong powerful lady...So at 135 she has the size advantage. Now, the reality is maybe Nunes just can't make 130[lbs]." [39:36 - 40:02]

'Bullet' involved in a champion vs. champion bout against Weili could be more appealing as it's a fresh matchup. However, a trilogy bout against 'Lioness' would be massive for her legacy if she can defeat her.

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Zhang Weili wants to fight Valentina Shevchenko in the future

Zhang Weili would welcome an opportunity to move up to 125 lbs and challenge women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko for her title and attempt to become a two-division champion.

While speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Weili mentioned that a superfight with 'Bullet' excites her and that their paths will eventually cross in the octagon, saying:

"It's a must, for sure, no question. I thought about this a couple of years back, eventually we would run into each other in the octagon because the weight divisions were so close... It will be a great performance, regardless of the outcome."

'Bullet' vs. 'Magnum' would be intriguing because of their accomplishments in their respective weight divisions. It will be a tough test for Weili as she looks to accomplish something her former rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk wasn't able to do and defeat 'Bullet' for the women's flyweight championship.