Dana White weighs in on potential champ vs. champ fights for Valentina Shevchenko

HOUSTON – There could very well be some big fights in Valentina Shevchenko’s future, but they won’t go down any time soon, at least according to UFC president Dana White

Thursday, White spoke to MMA Junkie’s John Morgan about various topics including Shevchenko’s future in the company. “Bullet” currently holds the flyweight title and she’s set to defend her strap Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 247.

“I mean, if you ask anybody right now about the women’s division, they’ll tell you about Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko and Weili Zhang. Literally the three champions in each division are as badass as they can be, so it’s fun.”

Shevchenko (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is one of the most dominant champions in the UFC and she’s a big favorite heading into her third title defense against Katlyn Chookagian.

Chookagian is a skilled striker that poses interesting challenges to the champion. Yet, many believe Shevchenko should get a comfortable win Saturday night.

Many wonder what could be next for Shevchenko if victorious against Chookagian, as there is no clear next contender in line at 125 pounds. And with a new champion at 115 pounds in Weili and some bad blood and history with featherweight and bantamweight titleholder Amanda Nunes, the idea of a champion vs. champion fight has floated among fans and media.

White is open for those kind of super fights, but would like his champions to establish lengthy and dominant reigns before thinking fights with other champions.

“All of those can happen, but what I really like to see people do is stay in their weight classed continue to knock people off,” White said. “Continue to build their legacy and their name, and when the time is right, those big crossover fights can happen.

UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

For more from White, watch the video above, and to hear from the champ, watch the video below.