MMA
Exclusive: UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko ready for anyone - 'You cannot discard any opportunities'
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A week after her defence of the UFC flyweight belt against Manon Fiorot (12-2), Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1) gave an interview to DAZN News in which the champion admitted that she hadn't yet thought about what would happen next, but that she wouldn't turn down any names in the future.
"Once my body and mind are a little bit rested, I already start to plan when the next fight is and who the next opponent is," Shevchenko said. "I’m the kind of fighter who always accepts the fight, no matter who the UFC approaches me with, no matter the name of the next opponent."
But the priority also remains what the fans want, as she explained.
"I'm not the one who’s like, 'Okay, this is the list and I will pick,'" she said. "No. Whoever they want me to fight next, I will do that. Another question is what the fans want most - who they want me to fight next."
In 2017, Shevchenko defeated UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Pena, who will defend her belt in the co-main event of UFC 316 against Kayla Harrison. Asked about a possible move up, Shevchenko remains open.
"You cannot discard any opportunities," she said. "Everything is possible. You never know what’s tomorrow, how you can say what you're going to do in a month or two.
"But for now, I feel very comfortable fighting in the 125 [lb] weight class - my natural weight class. I truly feel that this is the weight class where I belong."
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