Don’t you dare ask Valentina Shevchenko about retiring.
For more than two decades, ‘Bullet’ has been working hard to establish herself as one of the best female fighters in combat sports history. On Saturday, May 10, she’ll look to add to her legacy when she defends her UFC flyweight world championship against No. 2 ranked contender Manon Fiorot in the co-main event of UFC 315 in Montreal.
While Shevchenko shows no signs of slowing down, former UFC and ONE world champion Demetrious Johnson recently suggested that ‘Bullet’ should have one more go inside the Octagon against strawweight queen Zhang Weili before laying down her gloves and making way for the next generation.
“What I want to see next for Zhang Weili, I would love to see her fight Valentina Shevchenko,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “I think both those ladies have cleared their divisions. I think those two fight one more time and they can both retire in the sunset. Let the younger division, let the younger athletes have the opportunity to win the belt. They’re both older.”
Shevchenko snaps back at DJ’s retirement talk
Responding to Johnson’s comments during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Shevchenko slammed the MMA media’s obsessions with trying to retire fighters. Particularly those who are still competing at the highest level, like herself.
“I feel like the talk about retirement is getting out of hand in the martial arts community,” Shevchenko said. “One of the silliest questions I hear—not just for me, but for all fighters—is when the media asks someone at the top of their game about retirement. I think, why? Don’t you enjoy watching them fight? Why push them to retire when they’re just getting started? That’s why I don’t like all this talk about retirement.
“Everything starts with an idea. Someone puts it in your head, or you start thinking about it. But who decides there’s a certain age to retire? The most important thing is how you feel, what shape you’re in. If your mind is ready for training camps, weight cuts, and competition, there are no limits.
“So stop asking and commenting on retirement. Just look at the facts. Watch how people fight, how they train, how much they want it. That’s the real measure. Some fighters say they’re retiring, then change their minds and come back. I don’t think that’s the same.”
‘Mighty Mouse’ officially retired from mixed martial arts in September, vacating his ONE flyweight world title at ONE 168: Denver shortly after his 38th birthday.
Shevchenko, 36, will be making her 18th walk to the Octagon this summer when she sets out to defend her flyweight title for the eighth time across two reigns.
