Former flyweight rivals Valentina Shevchenko and Joanna Jędrzejczyk have reunited as training partners ahead of Shevchenko’s upcoming UFC 315 title defense. The two athletes, once fierce competitors in both Muay Thai and MMA, are now working together in Montreal as Shevchenko prepares to defend her flyweight championship against Manon Fiorot.
Former Rivals Valentina Shevchenko and Joanna Jędrzejczyk Team Up Ahead of UFC 315 Title Fight
Valentina Shevchenko and Joanna Jędrzejczyk share a long history. They first met in Muay Thai, where Shevchenko won all three of their bouts by decision more than a decade ago. Their rivalry continued in the UFC, culminating in a five-round contest for the vacant women’s flyweight title at UFC 231 in 2018, which Shevchenko won by unanimous decision. Despite their competitive past, both fighters have expressed mutual respect.
Valentina Shevchenko, a two-time UFC flyweight champion from Kyrgyzstan, has established herself as one of the most dominant figures in women’s MMA, holding records for most title defenses and knockouts in her division. Joanna Jędrzejczyk, from Poland, is a former strawweight champion with five successful title defenses and is recognized as a UFC Hall of Famer.
On their shared journey and training alongside one another, Shevchenko recently said, “Joanna, she’s an amazing fighter. She’s a Hall of Famer. We started flyweight together. This is how the women’s flyweight in UFC started-from me and her. Now, after all these years, we are together here, not facing each other, but going in the same direction.”
Their collaboration highlights the evolution of their relationship from rivals to allies, as both continue to influence the women’s flyweight division at the highest level.
