Valentina Shevchenko praises Antonina following sister’s loss to Chookagian

UFC flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko has sent a warm message to her older sister, Antonina, who was defeated by Katlyn Chookagian at UFC on ESPN 9 last weekend.

In her message, Valentina called Antonina her inspiration, and apologized for not being in her corner on fight night.

No matter what , I will always Love you my dear sister !
You are my inspiration, my support and the dearest person in whole world!
I feel so bad I couldn’t be at your corner this time because of my injury.
But I am always by your side ❤️ @ufc

— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) May 31, 2020

“No matter what, I will always Love you my dear sister,” Valentina wrote. “You are my inspiration, my support and the dearest person in whole world! I feel so bad I couldn’t be at your corner this time because of my injury. But I am always by your side.”

With her loss to Chookagian, Antonina returned to the loss column after a victory against Lucie Pudilova in her next most recent outing. This win was preceded by a loss to Roxanne Modafferi.

Her younger sister Valentina, meanwhile, is currently ruling over the UFC women’s flyweight division with an iron fist. Since capturing the title with a decision defeat of former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Valentina has has defended it with defeats of Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, and most recently, Chookagian, who she thumped to a third-round TKO at UFC 247 in February.

Valentina was expected to defend her title against Joanna Calderwood this summer, but the fight fell through due a combination of an injury and the coronavirus pandemic.

What do you think of the message Valentina Shevchenko sent her sister?