Valentina Shevchenko believes she is more deserving of a rematch with Alexa Grasso.
The former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion had her long title reign ended at UFC 285. In Shevchenko’s eighth title defense, she was submitted by Grasso with a tight rear-naked choke in the championship rounds.
Shevchenko On What She Took Away From The Loss
After the defeat, Shevchenko was especially frustrated after feeling as though she had dominated the whole fight. Almost a month removed from the setback, the ex-champ has revisited the moment and tells what she has learned from it.
“I rewatched the fight and it was the same feeling as what I had during the fight,” Shevchenko told Middle Easy. “It’s kind of like winning all the fight, like since round one till like very last moment of the fourth round and unfortunate situation, what happened at the end of the fourth round. So it’s changed everything. It’s kind of like a ‘good shake’ for me. I’m not the one, the person who gonna be like devastated for a long time.
“I understood it’s not the best position, not what I wanted… But it’s good to see how you can deal with this kind of situation because this is what define champion from from all others. I’m built differently. I am ready to work everything back. I’m ready, I’m ready to remember all my roots all since day one, all since the beginning. And definitely can’t wait for the rematch, what’s gonna happen. Here I am to bring and to win what is mine and to show an amazing fight as always.”
Timeframe For Return
With a hunger to reclaim her title, ‘Bullet’ is ready to bounce back against Grasso as early as this summer.
June, July works for me,” Shevchenko said. “Well, but I understand this is very too soon. Probably, not gonna happen. But yeah, this talk, what I wanted to put like in front of UFC, I think they are aware of that.”
‘Why We Have To Do The Rematch Next’
Shevchenko is confident that the UFC will do ‘the right thing’ and give her an immediate title rematch with Alexa Grasso… But what if they don’t? Well, Shevchenko would be utterly shocked from the ‘disrespect’ if that were to happen.
“This is the right thing to do. If it would be differently, I would be very surprised. I feel it’s a little bit of disrespect, but not a little bit, huge. This is what is gonna happen.
“The fight was not some one-sided fight [for Grasso]. No, it was one-sided fight before the fourth round situation, but in my side. So, I was winning the fight. That’s why it’s kind of like, gives the whole rights, the full like picture why we have to do the rematch next.”
