14 years oldme ,and myopponent of 25 yearsold One of the first professionalfights in my martial arts carrier! It took place in Oman.That time female fights in Muslimcountries was kind of rare)They tried force me to put on the helmet, but having my rebel character- I refused pic.twitter.com/Dn5y9piKf6
— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) April 7, 2020
Valentina Shevchenko is the quintessential definition of a lifelong martial artist.
The reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion recently shared a video of herself at 14 years old squaring off against a 25-year-old opponent in what appears to be a kickboxing match. Shevchenko is not wearing headgear in the contest, but she nonetheless gets her hand raised at the end of the bout.
“14 years old me, and my opponent of 25 years old,” Shevchenko wrote on Twitter. “One of the first professional fights in my martial arts [career]! It took place in Oman. That time female fights in Muslim countries was kind of rare. They tried force me to put on the helmet, but having my rebel character — I refused.”
14 years old me , and my opponent of 25 years old
One of the first professional fights in my martial arts carrier ! pic.twitter.com/m9zytTcxBf— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) April 7, 2020
Shevchenko has competed in muay Thai, kickboxing, vale tudo and mixed martial arts over the course of her fighting career. The 32-year-old Tiger Muay Thai representative was supposed to face Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a lingering leg injury.