Valentina Shevchenko: The Only Way is Victory Against Amanda Nunes

After coming off the wrong side of a decision to UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 196, a decision she tried to correct at UFC 213. Unfortunately, Nunes had to withdraw due to a severe and chronic sinusitis. Shevchenko didn’t accept that excuse, wasting no time telling our own Chris Taylor about what she thought in their latest interview. Finally, they are going to get to fight again at UFC 215 and after all Shevchenko has been through, she’s not accepting a loss as an answer.

“Everything is going good. I’m staying in Colorado together with my coach and my sister Antonina. I am training very hard and preparing to be the strongest that I can. This fight will be totally different because since that fight I have grown so much. I had very good training camps for my fight with Holly Holm and then Julianna Pena. So I feel like I am a totally different person and a different fighter than she fought last time. Most importantly for me is there is only one way. The one way is the victory. There is nothing else, nothing more. I will  do everything, it doesn’t matter what. If I have to fight the full distance I will do it. If I have to fight on the ground, I will do that. It doesn’t matter, whatever I have to do to win this fight I will do it!” – Valentina Shevchenko on her upcoming rematch with Amanda Nunes.

“I don’t have this win or lose. I have only win. So that is very different, but that is why, for now, I don’t consider anything else. For me, I don’t have like future thoughts. I have my fight on September 9. This is everything for me. That is why I focus all my energy and all my thoughts in this day September 9. What will happen after this date? I will start thinking of that on September 10.” – Valerntina Shevchenko on a possible move to women’s flyweight.

With the new women’s flyweight division about to get launched, Valentina Shevchenko would be a perfect candidate. She’s thought about it, but right now only fighting Amanda Nunes again and coming out with a win is all she can focus on. Still, it’s a really fun imagining a world where Shevchenko fights Joanna Jedrzejczyk as both vie for double titles. That’s all fantasy though, until Shevchenko beats Nunes.  After all, Joanna Violence asked to step in when Nunes pulled out the first time.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/18/2017.