MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on how Valentina Shevchenko can become more popular with mixed martial arts fans.
As we know, Valentina Shevchenko is one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time. She further cemented that legacy at UFC 315 last weekend when she successfully defended her flyweight championship against Manon Fiorot. At this point, the only names that can really be put alongside her are Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg.
However, she hasn’t really become a household name. That isn’t necessarily the fault of Valentina Shevchenko, and some would argue it’s due to the UFC not promoting her properly. Either way, though, there are definitely bigger names, even in the female divisions.
In a recent video, Chael Sonnen gave his thoughts on how to take Valentina Shevchenko to the next level.
Chael Sonnen’s view on Valentina Shevchenko
“So what do you want to do with Valentina? You’re not going to get her to turn. She had her opportunity to go heel and she didn’t do it. She complained about decisions, she complained about locations, she defended people that should not have been defended, she covered herself in tattoos-I mean, she did everything that you could do and she still didn’t have the courage to come out and let the world know that she’s not that nice of a person. So to make believe that she’s going to do it now is pretty tough.”
Valentina Shevchenko’s abilities are there for all to see. In reality, she doesn’t need to become a household name in order to be recognised as an all-time great. Still, it’d be nice to see her get a big PPV payday with some improved marketing – and perhaps that’ll come if she winds up in a superfight against Zhang Weili as has been rumored.
