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It was just over two years ago that the UFC women's flyweight division secured a dual reputation that appeared to be set in stone.

On one hand, the 125-pound division was fronted by defending champion Valentina Shevchenko who, after moving down from bantamweight, began to cement herself as an all-time great fighter by commandeering the UFC title before embarking on a series of one-sided title defenses. 

The flipside to that summarization was something not as many observers were willing to regularly admit: the division was as barren of legitimate title contenders or depth as any in UFC history. Yes, Shevchenko, who has since extended her title defense streak to a UFC women's record of seven, was showcasing her greatness right in front of our eyes, but she had largely done so against an underwhelming series of gatekeepers who had previously flamed out of their more desired weight class.

If there was a tease that change might be in the air, it came in Shevchenko's November 2020 title defense against Brazil's Jennifer Maia where, despite cruising to a wide decision win, Shevchenko had legitimate trouble dealing with Maia's size and grappling prowess. Any feeling that the division was catching up to Shevchenko turned out to be a fleeting one, however, when she followed it up with destructive finishes of Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy. 

Yet for those who might've ignored the overall machinations within the division over the last couple of years, it turns out the Maia fight may have been a harbinger of things to come. 

Trying to debate whether the division has simply caught up with Shevchenko -- an idea seemingly crystalized by her struggle to edge Taila Santos via split decision last June -- or whether the 34-year-old champion has slipped just a bit is unnecessary. Not only is the truth likely in the middle, the result has been the best news the division has received since its shaky 2017 launch through "The Ultimate Fighter." 

For the first time, the UFC women's flyweight division is actually fun. Moreover, there's actually some sneaky depth at the moment, along with a growing number of viable title contenders that have slowly revealed themselves. 

Keep in mind, outside of the strawweight division, which has seemingly always been stocked with rich talent since it debuted in 2014, the history of women's divisions within the UFC haven't been all that great save for some key big moments (and big names that passed through). 

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Save for the first three years after its original 2013 debut, women's bantamweight has been a mess. Ronda Rousey's initial rise was incredible, as was the depth UFC had around her with the likes of Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Shevchenko and current champion Amanda Nunes. But any form of division parity or excitement (save for Nunes' 2021 upset loss to Julianna Pena, which was avenged last year) stalled quickly once Nunes established her dominance. 

Women's featherweight, the second division which Nunes is currently a champion, remains so regularly in flux that UFC has still yet to populate a top 10 on its official rankings page even though the division debuted in 2017. Nunes has only defended her 145-pound title twice since her 2018 knockout of Cris Cyborg and one might ponder whether the division is only being kept alive for PFL star Kayla Harrison's eventual free-agent signing.

Yet for women's flyweight, last weekend's UFC Fight Night main event proved to be the perfect showcase of just how far the division has come since unheralded inaugural champion Nicco Montano was once stripped of her belt for missing weight and why there's reason for so much optimism regarding the future. 

Santos' disputed loss to Shevchenko last year could've easily warranted an immediate rematch. Instead, Santos was offered a fight opposite red-hot Erin Blanchfield, which she accepted before pulling out late. Former strawweight champion and flyweight title challenger Jessica Andrade filled in on short notice, allowing Blanchfield to put forth the performance of her young career by absorbing Andrade's heavy shots early before submitting her (with surprising ease) in Round 2. 

In the 23-year-old Blanchfield, the UFC now has a rising star who is a legitimate threat to Shevchenko's reign. The even better news, however, is she might not be the only one. 

For a division that was previously known as "Shevchenko and everyone else," that group of everyone else is as vibrant as it has ever been. One needs to look no further than Alexa Grasso, a 29-year-old slick boxer from Mexico, who has won all four of her 125-pound fights since moving up from strawweight in 2020 and will challenge Shevchenko next at UFC 285 on March 4. 

But the list of potentially interesting title challengers goes beyond the names listed above. There's also Manon Fiorot, the 33-year-old French striker who has won all five of her UFC bouts (including key wins over elite gatekeepers Maia and Katlyn Chookagian), is ranked second by the promotion and could land a title shot to close the calendar year. 

The key to a healthy division, however, is the depth beyond the top five and a group of young fighters threatening to make noise in the short-term future. Women's flyweight also has that, too, in the form of Casey O'Neill, Maycee Barber, Tracy Cortez, Miranda Maverick and Amanda Ribas. And if you need the wildcard of a division dark horse, enter former "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Tatiana Suarez. 

The 32-year-old Suarez is still unbeaten at 8-0 despite a series of injuries that have limited the native of southern California to just one fight in the last five years. Suarez has officially moved up to 125 pounds and will finally make her debut this Saturday opposite Montana De La Rosa at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. 

Given Suarez's size and dominant wrestling game, she remains just another interesting matchup for the top of the division whether Shevchenko survives this new wave of contenders or not. 

It took a while to get here but flyweight is suddenly rivalring its strawweight neighbor 10 pounds south as the best women's division in the sport today. 

What's in a name?

As Bellator MMA makes its return to arguably the globe's most passionate fan base of Dublin, Ireland, this weekend for Bellator 291 inside 3Arena, the co-main event of the card represents a big opportunity for 30-year-old featherweight veteran Jeremy Kennedy.

A native of British Columbia, Canada, Kennedy has won three of four since leaving PFL for Bellator and takes on Pedro Carvalho in a pivotal matchup at 145 pounds. But have you ever wondered why Kennedy (18-3, 1 NC) goes by the moniker of "JBC?"

According to Kennedy, the acronym stands for "junior bacon cheeseburger," as in the Wendy's value menu item, and is a nod to Kennedy's early days as a amateur fighter when he was short on cash and even shorter on nutritional discipline and knowledge. 

Kennedy had been formerly loyal to McDonald's but made the switch to Wendy's during his fledgling days as a fighter and the nickname stuck. 

Viral video of the week

What's the old phrase? Play stupid games, get stupid prizes? 

UFC veteran Dustin Poirier sat in a moving car during a recent Mardi Gras parade in Youngsville, Louisiana, and was accosted by a fan holding a sign reading, "Hey Dustin, your wife's in my DM's," which references a comment Conor McGregor made about Poirier's wife, Jolie, during their heated paid of 2021 pay-per-view bouts.

The result was what you might expect.