Valentina Shevchenko took to her Instagram and uploaded a photo of herself in a swimsuit.
Daniel Cormier expressed surprise at Valentina Shevchenko’s recent performances in her past two UFC title fights. Shevchenko narrowly won against Taila Santos in UFC 275 despite being controlled on the ground and having her back taken, and then was submitted by Alexa Grasso in UFC 285 after making several mistakes, including attempting an ill-advised spinning back kick that led to Grasso taking her back and securing the finish.
Cormier, speaking on his YouTube channel, stated that he never expected to see Shevchenko making consistent mistakes, especially given her dominant reign as the flyweight champion. He also noted that Shevchenko made similar mistakes in her fight against Santos, rushing takedowns and making poor decisions. Cormier believes that Shevchenko needs to improve her takedown defense if she wants to retain her title and extend her reign.
However, Cormier also praised Grasso’s performance, noting that she did an excellent job of capitalizing on Shevchenko’s mistakes and squeezing so tightly on her jawline that it made Shevchenko tap instead of passing out. He commended Grasso’s determination and willingness to fight despite being taken down multiple times.
Despite her recent loss, Shevchenko is still expected to receive an immediate rematch due to her dominant reign as champion. Cormier believes that she will need to improve her technique and avoid making the same mistakes if she wants to retain her title in the rematch.
“I never thought I would see Valentina Shevchenko making consistent mistakes,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “She made mistakes in the last fight against Taila (Santos), trying to score takedowns and rushing them, and she made mistakes tonight. Ultimately, the biggest mistake was trying that spinning back kick from in close.
“The last person I remember doing that was Chris Weidman trying an ill-advised spin kick against Luke Rockhold, got himself taken down and beaten up, which ultimately led to Luke becoming the champion. Same thing tonight. When Grasso saw that spinning kick, which she said she trained for, she jumped on her back like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and she went crazy trying to chase the finish.”
