Valentina Shevchenko doesn’t have time for this talk of being “exposed” by Taila Santos.
At UFC 275, Shevchenko had one of the toughest fights of her career, narrowly edging out a split decision win over Santos. Numerous rising flyweight competitors, such as Maycee Barber, Casey O’Neill and Casey O’Neill suggested that Santos had revealed the blueprint for Shevchenko’s defeat and they were the ones who would finally unify the fight. They are not paying attention to “Bullet”.
“The trash-talkers like Casey [O’Neil] and Maycee Barber, don’t give food for them, just let them speak something bad about someone because I think this is their energy,” Shevchenko said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “If they don’t talk something bad or something ugly, they feel sad in life. So this is why I feel they felt they had to say something. Casey, for example, just got back from Maycee’s injury. She doesn’t have anything to do but to talk because she is injured.
“I think it’s the same that it was before. You can say whatever you like, but pretending to know is one thing. It’s another to actually be in the octagon to try and accomplish it [real].. They can do their thing, but they will not succeed because I’ll always find the best way to win.
. Because you see it, but before you feel it, you never know it.”
Barber, O’Neill and others believe Santos lost because of her weakness. A number of fighters think Santos was robbed. But the champion believes her performance revealed her strength, not any weakness.
” It was a great fight. Shevchenko stated that Taila is a strong opponent and a great opponent. “I’m glad it was a challenging fight, I’m glad that I could prove that no matter what I can overcome any kind of situation. Technique is not enough. It’s also about the mental game. No matter what and how, you still have to find a way to win the fight. This is how I think and it’s what I was able to show .”
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An accidental headbutt in round four that broke Santos’ orbital bone and caused him to lose his fight with another fighter was a major point of contention.
Some pundits, like Daniel Cormier, suggested that Shevchenko only managed to retain her title as a result of the blow, which only added fuel to the criticism “Bullet” is now facing. The champion disagrees with that claim.
” I don’t believe this was something that she felt very strongly about,” Shevchenko stated. “I think a combination of every punch that I threw, it was affecting, because I saw on replay the clash of heads and it was accidental. It could go either way. It can affect her or it could impact me. Because no one wears head protection, you never know what the outcome will be. But there wasn’t something too big or too hard. On the replay it doesn’t show [that].
” It was still more combinations and one strong head kick from me. After that head kick, I felt that she got knocked down. The referee pulled the plug on the fight following that head kick. [separated us]. I don’t know what it was but he stopped the fight, and I thought if he didn’t stop it, after my head kick, I could finish her in the fourth round, because I felt it was strong and affected her.”
The head kick Shevchenko is referring to landed early in the fourth round, but did so immediately after Shevchenko landed a low blow to Santos. The bout was re-opened soon after Jason Herzog, the referee intervened.
Regardless of the reasons for the shift in momentum Shevchenko still holds her title and is the best pound-for-pound fighter worldwide. And while talk before UFC 275 was that Shevchenko might move up to challenge for the bantamweight title next, “Bullet” says that this new criticism has given her fuel to prove a point in the division she still reigns over.
“I think for now, next fight is going to be next title defense for the flyweight division,” Shevchenko said. You can see right now how strong flyweight opponents are and which strong competitors they have. People are saying things like “Oh my god, this is the blueprint” or something. I feel obliged to prove it in the next fight .”
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