VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO

UFC #1 Women's Flyweight

15-3-0

​

Fighter Info

Nickname: Bullet

From: Bishkek Kyrgyzstan

Fights Out Of: Lima Peru

Age: 29

Height: 5' 5" ( 165 cm )

Weight: 125 lb ( 56 kg )

Reach: 67"

​

TRAINING: My days leading up to this fight start early in the morning.  Each day increases in intensity as we are now growing closer to the fight.  During the preparation, we are working on striking and grappling every day.  In the afternoon, I do additional conditioning outdoors.  Some days I do grueling conditioning in nature outside of the gym.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I started training Taekwondo when I was five years old because it’s a family tradition.  My mother is the sportswoman of the family - she is a 3rd dan black belt in taekwondo.  I have been training multiple disciplines since the early beginnings of my journey as a martial artist.  My coach Pavel Fedotov has taught all his students mixed martial arts (what he called Universal Martial Arts) long before they were popular like today. Every time we trained, we practiced sambo, judo, wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo.  Every week we competed in different styles and sometimes at two different events with different styles on the same day.  I have been training mixed martial arts (MMA) since the beginning, and I started competing in MMA professionally in 2003.

What ranks and titles have you held? World Championship Titles (17-Time World Muay Thai and K1 Champion). Master of Sport International Class in Muay Thai, Master of Sport in Boxing (Russian Amateur National Champion), Kickboxing, Taekwondo and Judo

Do you have any heroes? My heroes are my family, my friends, and my supporters.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It means having the opportunity to compete against the best fighters in the world.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? University of Arts Kyrgystan, Undergraduate Degree in Film Directing

What was your job before you started fighting? I have been a fighter in combat sports since the age of 12.

Specific accomplishments in amateur competition? IFMA (International Muay Thai Federation) Champion - 9 Times

​

Specific accomplishments in pro competition? Record in Muay Thai / K-1 56-2. Combined professional record of 67-3.

Ranks in any martial arts styles? Second Dan black belt in taekwondo

Favorite grappling technique: Chokes

Favorite Striking technique: Spinning Back Kick

• MMA pro since 2003

• Seven wins by submission (4 RNC, 2 armbar, Ezekiel choke), four by knockout

• Lone pre-UFC loss to UFC contender Liz Carmouche via TKO in September of 2010

• Has won 8 of her last 10

• 1-0 as UFC flyweight

• Last pre-UFC win was over veteran Jan Finney in February of 2015

• Six first round finishes