Fresh controversy has emerged around Valentina Shevchenko after a former rival threatened to expose her “lies” following an alleged snub by the champion.

Valentina Shevchenko’s former kickboxing rival, Wang Cong, is scheduled to face Tracy Cortez in a flyweight bout at UFC 329. Through a social media post, Cong claimed that the promotion had arranged a joint Q&A session for UFC Macau that takes place this weekend, featuring both her and Shevchenko. However, it seems the flyweight champion ultimately missed the event, something the Chinese fighter believes happened because Shevchenko did not want to share the stage with her. As a result, ‘The Joker’ launched a scathing rant against her former adversary.

“Valentina and I were originally scheduled to appear together at the UFC Macau fan Q&A,” Cong said in an Instagram video. “However, she submitted a request to UFC to opt out of the joint appearance, refusing to share the stage with me. As my defeated opponent, it’s clear she’s afraid I’ll expose the truth behind her lies.

“She’s a sore loser with no class, nothing more than a compulsive liar who can’t handle defeat. Oh, and one more thing. I call her ‘Box Office Poison,’ because boring fights are exactly what she’s good at. @danawhite @bulletvalentina @ufc.”

The Liaoning native did not explicitly reveal what “lies” she intended to expose. However, her comments about Shevchenko being a “sore loser” for being unable to handle defeat seemingly hinted at their controversial kickboxing bout from October 2015 in China, where Cong defeated Shevchenko via unanimous decision.

Following that loss, Shevchenko questioned the scorecards and criticized the Chinese judges during an interview with MMA Junkie. To further support her stance, the Bishkek native later compared that kickboxing defeat to her UFC Noche rematch draw against Alexa Grasso in September 2023, suggesting the outcome may have been influenced by the Mexican Independence Day atmosphere surrounding the event. In doing so, Shevchenko subtly implied that Cong may have benefited from competing on home soil.

Since then, the 34-year-old Chinese fighter has remained critical of Shevchenko and her comments regarding the decade-old kickboxing clash. Cong has also claimed she would defeat ‘Bullet’ again if they ever met inside the UFC Octagon.

Currently ranked No. 12 in the women’s flyweight division, Cong is riding a three-fight winning streak. If she manages to get past No. 8-ranked Tracy Cortez in July at UFC 329, the Chinese standout could move one step closer to a potential grudge match with Shevchenko.

As another rivalry begins to build around the UFC women’s flyweight champion, Shevchenko also recently traded verbal jabs with a former UFC champion.

Valentina Shevchenko and Ronda Rousey exchange heated remarks

Ahead of her successful MMA return, Ronda Rousey launched a scathing attack at the UFC and its fighter pay structure. While criticizing the promotion, the former bantamweight champion also took aim at Shevchenko, mocking her presence on OnlyFans and implying the UFC had not paid her enough.

To be fair, Shevchenko had previously clarified in a social media post that she uses the platform primarily to connect with fans and share her workout videos. However, after Rousey’s remarks, the Kyrgyzstani champion responded with a sharp jab of her own, referencing Rousey’s infamous first-round technical knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in 2016.

“Looks like Ronda slept too long after her last fight in 2016,” Shevchenko posted on X.

The heated exchange briefly fueled speculation about a potential clash between the two MMA legends. However, with contractual complications between promotions and other factors involved, a fight between the two will never likely happen.

That’s not the case with Wang Cong, though. If the Chinese contender continues her rise in the promotion with a few more impressive wins, a future showdown with Shevchenko could realistically become one of the UFC women’s flyweight division’s biggest grudge matches in recent memory.