"You really got to beat the champ" - Javier Mendez shares his take on controversial outcome during Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos clash
Valentina Shevchenko's split-decision victory at UFC 275 has been the source of much controversy and AKA Coach Javier Mendez was the latest to weigh in. In episode 105 of The Schmozone podcast, coach Javier Mendez sat down with Dave Shmulenson (The Schmo) and Helen Yee. Mendez shared that he supports the theory of the contender having to undeniably beat the champion in order to take the belt, stating:
"The champ is the champ and you got to really beat the champ I think, you can't just edge it out like in boxing. You really got to beat the champ... based on that kind of theory, I think that they got it right."
An interesting part of Mendez's opinion here is that he categorizes this idea as a theory. The idea of having to decidedly beat the champion is indeed a theory, as it is nowhere within the unified rules or judging criteria. Chael Sonnen has spoken about this in the past, calling this theory one of "MMA's myths". Although it is only a theory or myth, this phenomenon is not new. The Schmo went on to compare the bout to Jones vs. Reyes, where Jones was able to defend his belt while seemingly only winning the championship rounds.
Regardless of whether it is fact or fiction, Mendez showed us that this sentiment of taking the belt from the champion still carries weight.
You can watch the entirety of episode 105 of The Schmozone podcast below:
What does the latest title defense mean for Valentina Shevchenko?
'Bullet' gets to add a seventh ruby to her championship belt after her latest performance. Firstly, this now puts her streak of defending the belt amongst active champions two defenses ahead of the next closest champion, Kamaru Usman.
Seven consecutive defenses is the definition of domination, however, after the first close-call of her title reign, times could be changing. When Jon Jones nearly lost his belt to Dominick Reyes, his aura of invincibility wavered. The same can be said about Shevchenko, as prior to this most recent bout, she looked virtually unbeatable. These close-calls affect people differently, but it could be possible that Shevchenko follows the same trajectory as Jones.
Jones, after that close-call, began a transition to heavyweight and hasn't fought since. Valentina, who has already tried moving up before, could see this as an opportunity to move up again. In fact, she has already mentioned this as a possibility on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour show. This move would, of course, all be dependent on if Julianna Peña is able to defeat Amanda Nunez a second time. Regardless, Shevchenko's latest defense has definitely affected her aura and makes her next bout even more intriguing.
You can watch Valentina's interview with Helwani regarding a bantamweight title shot below: