The Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight queen is ready to return in a few months, and has a destination in mind for her next outing.
On Thursday, Valentina Shevchenko spoke with MMA Junkie, where she explained how excited she was at the prospect of competing on a special island built for MMA competition.
“From the very, very first second when I heard about the island, it was already my favorite idea,” she explained to MMA Junkie Radio. “Yes, I would definitely love to fight there.
Shevchenko was originally slated to compete against Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 in June, but an MCL injury forced her out of her title fight. Her timetable for return to action is currently around the end of August, where she is more than willing to compete on this private island currently in the works, according to UFC President Dana While.
“Now I hope it’s going to happen sometime in the end of August, and why not — why not on the island,” asked Shevchenko. “It can be like a double great thing, and definitely, I love the idea of the island.
“I would love to have my training camp over there before the fight, to fight there, and actually to stay and recover after the fight on the island because I imagine it’s going to be super beautiful and a super nice place.”
Shevchenko has won her last five outings, all of which coming at the 125-pound division in which she reigns over. Her lone two defeats dating back to 2011 against current two-division champ Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko left bantamweight in 2018 to seek out the title of the newly established division. Demolishing Priscila Cachoeira in a “Beatdown of the Year” candidate in February 2018, she went on to take the vacant belt against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Since winning gold, Shevchenko has looked nothing short of dominant, racking up three title defenses in that stretch with knockouts over Jessica Eye and Katlyn Chookagian. Additionally, “Bullet” avenged her first career defeat when she took an uninspiring but one-sided decision over Liz Carmouche in August 2019. The Kyrgyzstani-born fighter from Peru currently sports the most wins in UFC women’s flyweight history.