Valentina Shevchenko believes experience will aid her against Manon Fiorot

Valentina Shevchenko believes her experience will help her when defending the belt again Manon Fiorot tomorrow night.

On Saturday, Valentina Shevchenko will defend her UFC flyweight championship against Manon Fiorot. It comes as the first fight she’s had in a long time that hasn’t been against Alexa Grasso, as she attempts to move on to a new chapter in her career. While many believe she’s capable of getting the job done, others are of the belief that this is Fiorot’s time to shine – including the challenger herself.

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Of course, this is mixed martial arts we’re talking about here, and anything can happen. There’s an incredible amount of unpredictability in the sport and Shevchenko knows that better than anyone after losing her belt to Grasso. This time around, however, it seems as if she’s more focused than ever to ensure she stays at the top of the mountain.

During media day, she had the following to say about Fiorot and this blossoming rivalry.

Shevchenko backs her experience

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to compare myself to her because I never will approach any of my opponents with so much disrespect like she did,” Shevchenko said Wednesday at the UFC 315 media day.

“My experience in martial arts is so many years,” Shevchenko said. “I started when I was 5, and all these years before joining the UFC, I was already a 17-time world champion in muay Thai, in MMA, in kickboxing.

“So imagine how many different characters I was able to meet and how many words they could say or something. If everything would bother me, I’d never achieve what I’ve achieved. My biggest ability is to block what’s happening all around and focus on the main goal.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

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