UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is set to defend her title against Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 and is determined to stay on top.
The bout will serve as the co-main event of the night, and it marks Shevchenko’s first fight that isn’t against former rival Alexa Grasso. Although “Bullet” always shows respect for her opponents before stepping into the octagon, her feelings for Fiorot are a bit different after the challenger called her out and promised to retire her. The trash talk was unexpected, but Shevchenko senses it as fear.
“She started to throw this tweet a little bit too soon, in my opinion, because I just fought,” Shevchenko said. “It was one month after the fight. But I understand she was desperate. She had a little bit [of a delay]. But I think everything, in the end, worked perfectly.”
“Nothing,” Shevchenko said when asked if Fiorot’s talk bothered her. “My experience in martial arts it’s so many years. I started when I was five, and all these years before joining the UFC, I was already a 17-time world champion in Muay Thai, in MMA, in kickboxing. So imagine how many different characters I’ve met and how many words they could say. If everything bothered me, I never would’ve achieved what I achieved. I think my biggest ability is to block all the energy happening around and focus on my main goal.”
Although she understands Fiorot’s standpoint, she still views the disrespect as unnecessary and plans to shut down her opponent in the upcoming battle.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to compare myself to her, because I would never approach any of my opponents with the kind of disrespect she did,” Shevchenko told reporters at UFC 315 Media Day.
“I like this when people go in with so much confidence,” Shevchenko said. “They say, ‘It’s going to be a finish,’ something like that. But I love the moment when they feel frustration in the ring, inside the octagon, when they realize that any plan they had doesn’t work. That’s the best feeling to see them breaking.”
UFC 315 takes place on Saturday, May 10, at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, and is headlined by a welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.
