Valentina Shevchenko plans to stick to one in every of Dana White’s favourite phrases: By no means depart it within the fingers of the judges.
This Saturday, Shevchenko faces rival Alexa Grasso in a flyweight championship trilogy bout within the co-main occasion of UFC 306, with Grasso trying to defend her title a second time. Grasso submitted Shevchenko to turn out to be champion at UFC 285, then retained her belt through a cut up draw on the inaugural Noche UFC in September 2023. The draw name was controversial, as one decide rewarded Grasso with a 10-8 rating within the last spherical that was criticized by followers and fighters.
The previous champion was requested whether or not she’s frightened in regards to the judges being swayed by a Mexican Independence Day weekend crowd that can be leaning in the direction of Grasso, however she hopes the bout doesn’t even require scorecards.
“The priority is to complete the combat,” Shevchenko informed reporters at UFC 306 media day. “That is No. 1 what’s in my head. When to grab the chance, to simply do what it’s important to do, one hundred pc, end the combat.”
Shevchenko went on to elaborate on her private historical past of coping with shaky judging, together with a pair of examples from her kickboxing days. She claimed {that a} biased referee tried to intrude along with her efficiency at a previous Muay Thai competitors.
“I’ve been in martial arts for 31 years,” Shevchenko mentioned. “I began once I was 5 years previous, to coach, and positively in all my profession I used to be combating so many locations, so many alternative fighters, of their residence international locations in opposition to not solely in opposition to opponents, crowd, however I had a world Muay Thai championship the place I needed to ‘combat’ in opposition to the referee.
“There was a girl referee who was really doing everything-I used to be combating within the last with a Thai lady—she was doing the whole lot to take factors from me and to [prevent] methods. She invented that I can’t do it, however she was attempting to try this. It doesn’t matter what, I received the combat, and when she was elevating my arm she mentioned, ‘You might be very fortunate’ as a result of what she was attempting to do it by no means labored.”
Shevchenko was additionally requested about latest UFC debutante Wang Cong. The Chinese language fighter was spectacular in her first combat for the promotion, needing 62 seconds to flatten veteran Victoria Leonardo.
Wang holds a win over Shevchenko from after they competed in kickboxing in 2015, however Shevchenko claims that their combat was one other instance of home-cooked scorecards.
“It’s actually humorous as a result of I let you know, once we fought it was in China,” Shevchenko mentioned of the Wang combat. “Again then, in that 12 months, any overseas fighter who fought in China, they might say the identical: To [beat] a Chinese language opponent, it’s important to not solely knock her out, however ensure that she can be down for at the very least half-hour, as a result of if will probably be simply 5 minutes, they may carry her up, ‘Are you prepared? Are you prepared? Go!’ and in the long run they make you lose.
“If we evaluate judges of that group in China with what occurred in my final combat with Alexa, that decide is an angel in comparison with the judges in China in that point.”
Given the controversy surrounding the second combat, Shevchenko is newly decided to conclude her trilogy with Grasso by securing a end. Nonetheless, she hesitated to say that she wanted to make any main modifications to her preparation—particularly contemplating that the collection is tied, so far as she’s involved.
“I can’t say that I misplaced two occasions, I might say it’s mistaken to say it that means as a result of our second combat—and everybody may see that—I received the combat, however they gave a draw. … So what ought to I do and what ought to I modify?” Shevchenko mentioned. “I don’t know. I actually needed to focus to carry out and to arrange myself one of the best ways that I can and I say I had a tremendous coaching camp. I pushed myself to all limits potential and what’s not possible limits, and simply prepared for the motion. It’s going to be a tremendous occasion and a tremendous combat.”
