Valentina
Shevchenko is rooting for former foe Julianna
Pena in her next title fight.
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Pena will put her women’s bantamweight title on the line against
Kayla
Harrison in the co-main event at UFC 316
on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. For
flyweight champ Shevchenko, the fight is as good as the main event
of the night.
While Harrison is a massive favorite, Shevchenko warns that a title
fight is different territory. Shevchenko cited the example of her
own successful title defense against Manon
Fiorot at UFC 315
last month. “Bullet” believes the Frenchwoman, riding a 12-fight
winning streak, was in uncharted territory in a championship
fight.
“If you see my previous fight against Manon, she was 12 wins
without [a loss], and she was thinking that championship fight was
going to be the same. But championship fight is not the same,”
Shevchenko told ESPN. “You will face different challenges, and I
feel the same way. This is my main event at UFC 316; it’s Julianna
Peña against Kayla Harrison. And I feel the same way that it’s
going to be completely different fight for Kayla Harrison, and she
will feel completely different. Because Julianna, she possess this
ability to win, to turn the fight from the position where she’s
uncomfortable to the comfortable and win the fight…I wish both
fighters a lot of success to win, but I will be rooting for
Julianna.”
Shevchenko submitted Pena via a second-round armbar when they
fought in 2017.
Pena won the title by submitting Amanda
Nunes at UFC 277 in 2022 in one of the greatest upsets in
combat sports history. However, “The Venezuelan Vixen” suffered a
lopsided beatdown in an immediate rematch against “The Lioness,”
who later vacated the title. Raquel
Pennington won the vacant title against Mayra
Bueno Silva, but suffered a controversial split-decision loss
against Pena in her first title defense.
Meanwhile, Harrison has been one of the most dominant female
fighters, tearing through the PFL roster to win the lightweight
championship on two occasions. The two-time Olympic gold medalist
will fight for a UFC title in just her third Octagon
outing.