Sports
UFC Champion defends her title Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko defeats yet another challenger
BY MARCEL MARIAK
The main event of UFC 247 on February 8th Jon “Bones” Jones (Light-Heavyweight Champion) v. Dominick Reyes was not a pleasant bout to watch. It was an extremely underwhelming result to a highly anticipated challenge for the title of UFC light-heavyweight champion and left many fans disappointed and genuinely confused as to who actually won the fight. Fight fans were expecting an action-packed showdown between two relentless strikers, but instead got five rounds of fighting which consisted of mostly jumping in circles and failed takedown attempts. When the judges gave Jones the win by unanimous decision, people in the martial arts community were left wondering what exactly Jones did to deserve the win; with many accusing the UFC of being biased towards the defending champion.
Luckily, the co-main event, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko v. Katlyn “Blonde Fighter” Chookagian was a much more entertaining and action-packed battle. Shevchenko, the defending women’s flyweight champion entered the challenge from Chookagian as an overwhelming favourite. With –#### betting odds, Shevchenko was expected to decimate her opponent.
In the lead-up to the fight, it became clear that Chookagian was no match for Valentina Shevchenko. There’s no doubt that Chookagian, with an almost perfect 13-2 record before the fight, is an impressive athlete and capable fighter. Unfortunately, almost all of her wins have been via judge’s decision, and the chances of her being able to hold her ground for five rounds against one of the best strikers in the UFC was slim.
Valentina Shevchenko, on the other hand, is regarded as one of the best martial artists in the world. She is a K1 Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and UFC champion, as well as an extremely impressive grappler. Shevchenko’s most notable attribute as a fighter is her blinding speed. Nicknamed “Bullet,” Valentina certainly lives up to her alias. Her speed and agility are unmatched in the UFC, and she’s capable of throwing an entire combination of strikes before her opponent has any chance to react. As a result, the question going into the fight wasn’t whether or not Shevchenko would win, but how fast.
From the starting bell, it became clear that Chookagian was out of her depth. She looked tense, nervous, and flinched at almost every one of Shevchenko’s movements. Valentina, on the other hand, was cool, collected, and very confident in her abilities. She quickly analyzed her opponent’s nervousness and overwhelmed her with strikes throughout the fight. Valentina landed an elbow at the end of the first round which opened up a bad cut on her opponent’s head and spelt the beginning of the end for Chookagian. Throughout the fight, Shevchenko landed more than double the strikes her opponent did, as well as securing three takedowns. The fight ended near the end of the third round with Valentina taking down her opponent and finishing her with a brutal ground-and-pound attack.
During the post-fight press conference, Valentina looked as fresh as a daisy, with barely any bruises to suggest that she had been in a UFC fight only hours prior. Valentina told the press that she felt extremely confident during the fight and had no doubt she would win. “After cutting her with an elbow in the first round, I knew the fight wouldn’t last five rounds,” commented Valentina, “I was just looking for the best way to finish the fight.”
With another impressive title defence in the books for Valentina, she is quickly becoming an unbeatable champion. Although the women’s flyweight division is packed with talented fighters, few can match the speed, skill, resilience, and raw athleticism of Valentina Shevchenko. Unfortunately, it might be a while before we see her fight again as Valentina was served with a six-month medical suspension due to undisclosed injuries after the fight.