Despite being the co-main eventer, Valentina Shevchenko greatly impressed the fighting community in her fight against Manon Fiorot at UFC 315. It’s true that she wasn’t able to secure a win by finish. But the bout proved why ‘Bullet’ was the champion of the women’s flyweight division and the pound-for-pound number one in the UFC women’s realm. But there’s more to the story of the Kyrgyz champion. 

In her fight against Fiorot at Montreal, Shevchenko showed the world how dangerous her right hook was. The French flyweight’s strikes were easily countered with the champion’s short right hooks. One of the hits even messed up Fiorot’s nose, and she started bleeding. And another one of those hooks sent her wobbling back. But do you know that Shevchanko has been using this specific move for more than a decade? 

You read that right! Following her impressive win, ‘Bullet’ took a ride down memory lane and dug up a video from her French Boxing Savate win back in 2005. She shared the video on Instagram and wrote, “20 years ago and already battling French champs 😎. French boxing Savate. Pro fight in Russia, Krasnodar, 2005.” It’s worth noting that ‘Bullet’ successfully dropped her opponent twice. And both times, her right hooks were to blame. 

In the first instance, after a momentary clinch, a counter right hook sent Shevchenko’s opponent to the canvas. And then, after the referee determined if the lady opposing ‘Bullet’ was alright, Shevchenko released a flurry of fists. Ultimately, her opponent went down and was rendered unable to fight. It was a flawless victory for the Kyrgyz fighter. And how did she celebrate? With a dance, of course! 

Needless to say, the 20-year-old video impressed the fighting community. Even the bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, was left in awe. He took to the comments section and wrote, “Wow 🔥.” But what did the fans have to say about it?

Fans connect the dots and recognize Valentina Shevchenko’s deadly move 

It didn’t take the fighting realm long to point out that Shevchenko used the same move to drop her opponent 20 years ago, that she used to humble Fiorot at UFC 315. One of the fans claimed, “Amazing ! Same short right hook!!!” Another fan pointed out, “That same lead hook 💀.” One more fan commented, “That’s the same right hook that dropped Fiorot in round 3 but bell rang 🔔😅.” Meanwhile, one fan decided to discuss that the check hooks were something to be wary of. The comment read, “Those check hooks are DANGEROUS. Same one that dropped Fiorot 👊🏽.” A few of the fans wondered how people still weren’t able to defend Shevchenko’s hits. A fan wrote, “Damn they still dont know how to defend that right check hook after all these years lol.” 

The records that Shevchenko built and the way she made a name for herself in the realm of MMA and Kickboxing were commendable indeed. And stopping Fiorot’s 14-fight win streak further impressed the fans. That put Shevchenko as the favorite fighter for many. One fan wrote, “My favorite female fighter of all time..easily. Keep up the great work champ🔥.” Meanwhile, a few others branded her as the greatest fighter. One fan commented, “Simply the GOAT 👑🔥.” Another fan wrote, “The real goat.”

On the other hand, many fans pushed her towards the Hall of Fame. One of the comments read, “Valentina to the hall of fame already! 🔥” On top of that, some of the fans believed that she should get a doctorate in the sport. The fan wrote, “she deserves an honorary doctorate in martial arts.”

What do you think of Shevchenko’s achievement? Do you think there’s a way for the flyweight contenders to stop and defend ‘Bullet’s right hook? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.