There are several UFC stars who walk out with the flags of their homeland whenever they take to the octagon. However, a large chunk of fans might have noticed that a few athletes of the promotion carry a different flag during their walkouts, despite residing in a completely different country. The famed UFC icon, Israel Adesanya, stands as a bright example of one of such fighters. Actually, a number of athletes in the promotion forfeited their birthplaces and settled down in completely different countries due to various reasons. Such fighters often choose to associate themselves with a single country instead of representing both the countries of their birth and residence.

But several fighters, like the recently concluded Noche UFC main eventer, Valentina Shevchenko, have often carried the flags of two countries stitched together to showcase their love for both. Most fans might be aware of the fact that ‘Bullet’ is a native of Kyrgyzstan, but she moved to Peru in order to upgrade her martial arts skills. However, in a 2020 episode of the ‘Hablemos MMA Podcast’, Shevchenko stated, “I’m from Kyrgyzstan, but my nationality is Russian”. These words from ‘the Kyrgyzstani’ might still have a number of fans wondering what exactly was the reason behind ‘Bullet’ making such a statement.

Is Valentina Shevchenko a self-proclaimed Russian? Where are her parents from?

The first part of this question can be answered affirmatively with the information we have currently. As already mentioned, ‘Bullet’ herself stated her “nationality” to be “Russian” on such a noted podcast. But she also backs a few points to legitimize her self-proclaimed “Russian” identity.

Reports say that Valentina is the second daughter of Elena and Anatoly Shevchenko. She was born in Kyrgyzstan, which used to be under Soviet control in those days. Several publications also say that one of her parents carries Russian roots while the other is of Ukrainian origin. However, she detailed the reason behind identifying herself as a Russian in the ‘Hablemos MMA Podcast’ episode.

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Shevchenko revealed, “In the Soviet Union, when there was a Soviet Union like 15 countries, a lot of people from Russia were sent to countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, to develop the culture and my grandmother was one of them.” She continued, “She met my grandfather, my mother was born, and we grew up in Kyrgyzstan, but from an ethnicity standpoint were Russian.”

Most of us would agree that it is nowhere wrong to link an individual with the roots of their ancestors. Thus, a large chunk of fans might back Shevchenko’s viewpoint of identifying herself as a Russian.

What is Valentina Shevchenko’s ethnicity and where does she live?

Despite Shevchenko’s clarification about the Russian part of her identity, we can only make assumptions about how she is connected to Ukraine. She never mentioned the ethnicity of her grandfather in the podcast.

Hence, there’s a possibility that her grandfather was from the Soviet-controlled Ukraine of those days. However, her father, Anatoly Shevchenko, might also be the factor that gives her a Ukrainian ethnicity. Also, the Soviet Union collapsed shortly after Shevchenko’s birth, and Kyrgyzstan became an independent country where she spent most of her childhood.

Shevchenko, therefore, has multiple ethnicities, depending on which side of her kinship we choose to look at. Her Russian grandmother makes her an ethnic Russian. Whereas reports also say that she has Ukrainian roots which come from her father or grandfather. But, for those who consider the ethnicity of an individual to be the place where they were born and brought up, Shevchenko is an ethnic Kyrgyzstani.

Some fans might know that ‘Bullet’ has also spent eight years in the country of Peru. Thus, she represents herself as a Peruvian as well by carrying its flag along with the Kyrgyzstani flag. However, multiple reports say that she has chosen the UFC’s hometown, Las Vegas, as her current residence.

What religion does Valentina Shevchenko follow?

Well, most fans might have never seen ‘Bullet’ talk about religious preferences. Apart from fans, there are no publications that can confirm this as well. Hence, all we can do is make assumptions from a few known factors. History says that her surname, Shevchenko’ is mostly carried by Christians. But, a few fans have often identified her as a Muslim.

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There’s an unconfirmed piece of information about her that has often been heard in the UFC world. It says Shevchenko is actually married to his longtime coach, Pavel Fedotov. Now Fedotov is a Muslim but is much older than him. Hence, the believers in this rumor might be the ones who identify her as a Muslim. But she has also posted a number of snaps on her Instagram that showcase her respect for Buddhism as well.

After looking at these factors, what religion do you think she follows? Also, do you accept her to be a “Russian” as she claims?

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