Home

UFC

“She’s a Complete MMA Fighter”- Valentina Shevchenko Lauds Jennifer Maia Ahead of UFC 255 Fight

Published 11/19/2020, 6:44 AM EST

Follow Us

via Getty

At UFC 255, this weekend, Valentina Shevchenko (19-3) will make her fourth title defense. The Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian professional mixed martial artist will take on Brazilian Jennifer Maia (18-6-1) in the co-main event.

‘The Bullet’ is currently on a five-fight win streak. While her confidence may be high, Valentina spoke to ESPN MMA about her upcoming opponent. Jennifer Maia is currently 3-2 in her last five fights. However, she beat Joanne Calderwood in August to take her spot as the #1 contender.

Valentina Shevchenko remains confident but humble. She told Ariel Helwani“I cannot say what impresses me most, but she’s a good striker, she’s a good grappler, she’s a complete MMA fighter and she’s going to do everything that she has.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Getty

However, it is not in Valentina’s nature to fixate on her opponents. She says that her preparation is key to the outcome of the fight. “It doesn’t matter at all because I am prepared. I was training so hard for everything and if she’s saying she wants the belt more than me, oh she’s wrong.”

Valentina Shevchenko is a focused UFC champion

Becoming the UFC champion is difficult, but staying champion is even more difficult. With all the media as well as social media attention, many champions have lost their way.

Whether it is their ability or their desire, a champion has to always be prepared for the next hungry challenger in line. Valentina however is under no illusions and reveals that she is focused as ever.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

She said, “They think that when you become a champion, then you start to slow down. They think you start to lose focus or you are thinking about some different things, but they are talking about the wrong person.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Valentina continued, “They don’t know what they are saying because of the way I did from the beginning to become a UFC champion. It was not an easy way at all.”

‘The Bullet’ believes that she is focused and prepared to face Jennifer Maia. She will look to continue to cement her legacy as one of the best UFC fighters.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

UFC 255 will be live this weekend, headlined by Deiveson Figueiredo taking on Alex Perez for the UFC men’s flyweight title.

Read: UFC 255: Deiveson Figueiredo vs Alex Perez – When and Where to Watch

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Keith Dsouza

193Articles

One take at a time

Keith D'Souza is part of the Essentially Sports MMA writing team. Having followed the sport since 2013, some of his favorite fighters include Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, and Johny Hendricks. Keith also runs PureMMAIndia, a brand that promotes MMA over social media which aims at growing the sport in India.
Show More>