Valentina Shevchenko
Valentina Anatolyevna Shevchenko is a Kyrgyz and Peruvian professional mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer, with the rare distinction of having won professional championships in all three sports. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where she is a two-time and current UFC Women's Flyweight Champion and the first Kyrgyz fighter to win a UFC championship. As of September 17, 2024, she is #1 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time.
Early and personal life
Shevchenko was born in Frunze, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union on March 7, 1988, to a Russian-Ukrainian family of military servicemen, but she has described herself as being Russian in a Russian interview and her native language is Russian. Her family had Soviet, and later Kyrgyzstan citizenship. Her mother, Elena Shevchenko, is the president of Kyrgyzstan's national Muay Thai association and a former multiple-time Muay Thai champion. Her father, Anatoly Shevchenko, served in the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy for three years during the Cold War, and played for the Kyrgyzstan national football team.After becoming interested in combat sports at an early age, Valentina began Taekwondo at age five, under the influence of her older sister Antonina and her mother, who both participated in the sport. At age 12 she branched out into Muay Thai kickboxing and then freestyle Vale Tudo. Her kickboxing career began in 2000 when, also at age 12, she knocked out a 22-year-old opponent, earning her the moniker "Bullet" from her trainer Pavel Fedotov because of her speed in the ring. She traveled to Peru with Fedotov and Antonina in 2007, where they became martial arts teachers, and Fedotov eventually relocated his team there permanently. She later gained Peruvian citizenship and is fluent in Russian, English, and Spanish. She also speaks Thai.
Shevchenko earned an undergraduate degree in Film Directing from the National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic. In December 2021, the university awarded her the title of an Honored Professor.
In April 2019, she was awarded by Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov with the Dank Order. She was awarded during her first visit to Kyrgyzstan in seven years, during which Jeenbekov praised Shevchenko's role in her profession, saying that she "defended the honour of our Kyrgyzstan". Valentina and Antonina made UFC history by becoming the first pair of sisters to feature on the same fight card at UFC 255.
Muay Thai and kickboxing career
From 2003 to 2015, Shevchenko collectively won more than 90 amateur/pro matches in K-1, Muay Thai and kickboxing. She received her first loss in kickboxing when she fought Debby Urkens in 2008 and her second one against Cong Wang in 2015. Shevchenko won 8 gold medals when she competed in the IFMA world championships, as well as the IMFA Royal World Cup in 2015. During these competitions, Shevchenko defeated future UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk three times and future UFC fighter Lina Länsberg once. Shevchenko is considered to be one of the best female Muay Thai fighters in the world.Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Shevchenko made her professional debut in mixed martial arts at the age of 15 on April 21, 2003, at Kyrgiz Federation of Kulatuu against fellow debuting fighter Eliza Aidaralieva. She won the fight via TKO in the second round.Competing in regional Kyrgiz, Russian and Korean promotions she went undefeated in her next 6 fights, winning all of them via a first-round finish, before deciding to take a hiatus from MMA in 2006 to focus on her Muay Thai and kickboxing career.
She returned to active competition and made her US debut against a future UFC title contender Liz Carmouche on September 30, 2010, at C3 Fights in Concho, Oklahoma. Despite dominating her opponent for the majority of the first round, Shevchenko suffered her first loss after a controversial doctor stoppage due to a large cut caused by an illegal upkick. The referee decided not to call foul, which would result in a disqualification win for Shevchenko, and the fight was instead waved off by the doctor and ruled as a TKO win for Carmouche. After successfully rebounding from her loss in the following year by defeating Akjarkyn Baiturbaeva via unanimous decision and earning the first decision win of her career in the process, Shevchenko took another break from the sport, during which she continued to compete in amateur Muay Thai bouts.
She made her return again in 2013 under the banner of a South American MMA promotion Fusion FC, where she earned two TKO wins with a turnaround of just two months between the fights. With these victories, she improved her professional record to 10–1.
Legacy Fighting Championship
In 2014, it was announced that Legacy FC had signed Shevchenko for MMA and kickboxing. She faced Jan Finney on February 27, 2015, at Legacy Fighting Championship 39, winning the fight via unanimous decision.Ultimate Fighting Championship
Shevchenko made her UFC debut as a short-notice replacement for Germaine de Randamie against Sarah Kaufman at UFC on Fox 17. She won the fight via split decision.In her second fight for the promotion, Shevchenko faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016. Although she made an impressive and strong performance in the third round, her slow start in the first two gave the rounds to Nunes. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.
In her third UFC fight, Shevchenko faced former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm at UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko on July 23, 2016. After losing the first round, she rallied back to take over the fight and won a dominant unanimous decision.
Shevchenko faced Julianna Peña in a possible title eliminator match in the main event at UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña on January 28, 2017. She won the fight by armbar submission in the second round. The win also earned Shevchenko her first Performance of the Night bonus.
UFC Bantamweight title fight
Shevchenko was expected to rematch the current women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213, but on the day of the fight, Nunes fell ill and pulled out of the fight. The doctors cleared Nunes to fight, but she didn't feel up to it, so the fight was called off. Joanna Jędrzejczyk offered to replace Nunes, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission could not clear her on such short notice.The rematch against Nunes was rescheduled to UFC 215 on September 9, 2017, in Edmonton, Alberta. After a very close back-and-forth fight, Shevchenko lost the fight via split decision. In the post-fight press conference, she voiced her disagreement with the judges' decision but also said she respected the outcome. Out of 22 media outlets, 10 scored it for Nunes, 10 for Shevchenko, and 2 scored it a draw.
Flyweight division
In September 2017, Shevchenko revealed plans to join the 125-pound flyweight division.Shevchenko faced promotional newcomer Priscila Cachoeira on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125. She won the fight in an extremely dominant fashion and via rear-naked choke in round two, outstriking her opponent 230–3. This win earned her the Performance of the Night bonus.
Shevchenko was scheduled to face champion Nicco Montaño on September 8, 2018, at UFC 228. However, prior to the weigh-ins for the event, Montano was transported to a hospital due to the effects of weight cutting. The bout was canceled and Montano was stripped of the Women's Flyweight title. UFC officials then announced that Shevchenko would fight for the vacant 125-pound flyweight title later in 2018.
UFC Women's Flyweight Championship
On September 20, 2018, it was announced that Shevchenko would face Joanna Jędrzejczyk, who was returning to Flyweight, on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231 for the vacant UFC Women's Flyweight Championship. Due to UFC 230 being in need of a main event, Shevchenko was booked against Sijara Eubanks. Eubanks was expected to face Jessica Eye at UFC 232, before being moved to face Shevchenko. After the UFC announced a Heavyweight Championship bout between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis to serve as the main event of UFC 230, UFC confirmed the bout between Shevchenko and Eubanks was canceled and that Shevchenko would return to her original bout at UFC 231 against Jędrzejczyk. Shevchenko defeated Jędrzejczyk by unanimous decision to become the new UFC Women's Flyweight Champion.In the first defense of her UFC flyweight title, Shevchenko faced Jessica Eye in the co-main event at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019, She successfully defended her title, winning via a head kick knockout in the second round. This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.
Shevchenko faced Liz Carmouche on August 10, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 156. The pairing met previously under a regional promotion banner in 2010 with Carmouche winning the bout in the second round after the doctor stopped the bout due to a large cut stemming from an upkick. Shevchenko won the rematch via unanimous decision.
Shevchenko defended her Flyweight title for the third time against Katlyn Chookagian on February 8, 2020, at UFC 247. She won the fight via TKO in the third round.
Shevchenko was scheduled to face Joanne Calderwood on June 6, 2020, at UFC 250. However, Shevchenko pulled out of the fight citing a leg injury.
In the fourth defense of her title, Shevchenko faced Jennifer Maia on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
In her fifth title defense, Shevchenko faced former UFC Women's Strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade on April 24, 2021, at UFC 261. After dominating Andrade for most of the bout, Shevchenko won via TKO in round two.
Shevchenko faced Lauren Murphy on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. She won the fight via technical knockout in round four, defending her title for the sixth time.
Shevchenko faced Taila Santos on June 12, 2022, at UFC 275. She won the close bout via split decision. This fight earned her the Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" awards paid in bitcoin of US$30,000 for first place.
Shevchenko faced Alexa Grasso on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285. In a surprise upset, she lost the bout and title via a face crank in the fourth round. The defeat marked her first career loss at Flyweight, her first non-decision loss in the UFC and the first time she had been submitted in her MMA career.
Shevchenko faced Alexa Grasso in a rematch for the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. The match ended in a split draw. The decision was controversial as one of the three judges scored 10-8 for Alexa Grasso in the last round, but Valentina argued her dominance in the round relating to the new scoring system in UFC. If the judge would have scored the fifth and final round in Valentina's favor, she would have won the fight and consequently the title.
On February 9, 2024, it was announced that Shevchenko and Grasso would be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 32 on ESPN+, which would feature contestants from the middleweight and featherweight divisions. Shevchenko faced Alexa Grasso for the third time on September 14, 2024 at UFC 306. With nearly 15 minutes of control time, she won by dominant unanimous decision, becoming the only 2-time UFC Women's Flyweight Champion in the process.
Shevchenko defended her title against Manon Fiorot on May 10, 2025 at UFC 315. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Shevchenko faced former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili on November 15, 2025 at UFC 322. She won the fight by unanimous decision.