Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Anatolievna Shevchenko

(born March 7, 1988) is a Kyrgyzstani and Peruvian professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter.

She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion.

As of March 7, 2023, she is ranked #1 in the women’s flyweight rankings, and as of August 22, 2023, she is ranked #3 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Shevchenko was born in Frunze, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union on March 7, 1988, to a Russian-Ukrainian family of military serviceman, but she has described herself as being Russian in a Russian interview and her native language is Russian.

Her family had Soviet, and later Kyrgyzstan citizenship.

Her mother Elena Shevchenko is the president of Kyrgyzstan's national Muay Thai association and a former multiple-time Muay Thai champion.

Her father Anatoly Shevchenko served in the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy for three years during the Cold War, and played for the Kyrgyzstan national football team.

After becoming interested in combat sports at an early age, Valentina began Taekwondo at age 5, under the influence of her older sister Antonina and her mother, who both participated in the sport.

At age 12 she branched out into Muay Thai kickboxing and then freestyle Vale Tudo.

Her kickboxing career began in 2000 when, also at age 12, she knocked out a 22-year-old opponent, earning her the moniker "Bullet" from her trainer Pavel Fedotov because of her speed in the ring.

From 2003 to 2015, Shevchenko collectively won more than 90 amateur/pro matches in K-1, Muay Thai and kickboxing (eight were won by technical knockout, two by knockout).

Shevchenko won 8 gold medals (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014) when she competed in the IFMA world championships, as well as the IMFA Royal World Cup in 2015.

During these competitions, Shevchenko defeated future UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk three times and future UFC fighter Lina Länsberg once.

Shevchenko is considered to be one of the best female Muay Thai fighters in the world.

Shevchenko made her professional debut in mixed martial arts at the age of 15 on April 21, 2003, at Kyrgiz Federation of Kulatuu against fellow debuting fighter Eliza Aidaralieva.

She won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Competing in regional Kyrgiz, Russian and Korean promotions she went undefeated in her next 6 fights, winning all of them via a first-round finish, before deciding to take a hiatus from MMA in 2006 to focus on her Muay Thai and kickboxing career.

She traveled to Peru with Fedotov and Antonina in 2007, where they became martial arts teachers, and Fedotov eventually relocated his team there permanently.

She gained Peruvian citizenship in 2008 and is fluent in Russian, English, and Spanish.

Shevchenko earned an undergraduate degree in Film Directing from the National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In December 2021, the university awarded her the title of an Honored Professor.

She received her first loss in kickboxing when she fought Debby Urkens (WFCA) in 2008 and her second one against Cong Wang in 2015.

She returned to active competition and made her US debut against a future UFC title contender Liz Carmouche on September 30, 2010, at C3 Fights in Concho, Oklahoma.

Despite dominating her opponent for the majority of the first round, Shevchenko suffered her first loss after a controversial doctor stoppage due to a large cut caused by an illegal upkick.

The referee decided not to call foul, which would result in a disqualification win for Shevchenko, and the fight was instead waved off by the doctor and ruled as a TKO win for Carmouche.

After successfully rebounding from her loss in the following year by defeating Akjarkyn Baiturbaeva via unanimous decision and earning the first decision win of her career in the process, Shevchenko took another break from the sport, during which she continued to compete in amateur Muay Thai bouts.

She made her return again in 2013 under the banner of a South American MMA promotion Fusion FC, where she earned two TKO wins with a turnaround of just two months between the fights.

With these victories, she improved her professional record to 10–1.

In 2014, it was announced that Legacy FC had signed Shevchenko for MMA and kickboxing.

She faced Jan Finney on February 27, 2015, at Legacy Fighting Championship 39, winning the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–27).

Shevchenko made her UFC debut as a short-notice replacement for Germaine de Randamie against Sarah Kaufman at UFC on Fox 17.

She won the fight via split decision (28–29, 29–28, and 29–28).

In her second fight for the promotion, Shevchenko faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016.

Although she made an impressive and strong performance in the third round, her slow start in the first two gave the rounds to Nunes.

She lost the fight by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–27, and 29–27).

In her third UFC fight, Shevchenko faced former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm at UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko on July 23, 2016.

In April 2019, she was awarded by Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov with the Dank Order.

She was awarded during her first visit to Kyrgyzstan in seven years, during which Jeenbekov praised Shevchenko's role in her profession, saying that she "defended the honour of our Kyrgyzstan".

Valentina and Antonina made UFC history by becoming the first pair of sisters to feature on the same fight card at UFC 255.