"She needs a Huckleberry in her weight class" - Dan Hooker explains what Valentina Shevchenko needs to propel her to stardom

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Valentina Shevchenko (left) and Dan Hooker [Image Courtesy: @bulletvalentina and @danhangman on Instagram]

Despite being the UFC women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko hasn't reached the superstardom that she deserves. Dan Hooker gave an explanation on why he thinks that is the case with ‘Bullet’.

During his recent appearance on The Allstar’s with John Hyon Ko, Hooker elaborated that Valentina Shevchenko needs someone that will step up to her level.

Although she unsuccessfully challenged Amanda Nunes for her UFC women’s bantamweight title, in Hooker’s opinion, she should keep her attention focused on her original division.

Dan Hooker said:

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“She just needs... Shevchenko just needs, needs her Huckleberry, you know what I mean? She needs her opponent. Obviously, she’s got the fights with the champ… She obviously has got fight with the Nunes. But I think like everyone can agree that’s the weight class she shouldn’t be competing in… That’s not her weight class, you know what I mean? She needs a Huckleberry in her weight class to really propel her to the superstardom.”

Next, ‘The Hangman’ elaborated on what he meant by that. He added:

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"But yeah, to propel you to that superstar you need like that Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, like that thirty-six seconds knockout, you need someone that’s on your level and can push your pace to really show people what you’re made of. That shows people your character, gives more dips of understanding of who you are. That’s what really propels people to that next level."

Valentina Shevchenko currently rides an eight-fight win streak during which she grabbed and defended the title a record-setting six times.

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She also holds the record for most wins and most consecutive title defenses amongst many other achievements in the women’s flyweight division.

Watch Dan Hooker discuss Valentina’s Shevchenko superstardom status in the 39:45 minute of the video below:

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Chael Sonnen weighs in on whether Valentina Shevchenko should turn against her fans

As ‘Bullet’s’ fights started to become predictable, Chael Sonnen came to the conclusion that she should undergo a change in persona to make them more exciting for the viewers.

The Bad Guy Inc. host entertained the idea, originally presented by Josh Thomson, that Shevchenko should consider a ‘heel turn’.

The term originates from pro wrestling, meaning a drastic change in someone’s character by taking a more villainous approach toward fans. This is done to generate more interest fueled by negative emotions for that person.

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During an episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen opined that a heel turn could bring more attention to Valentina Shevchenko:

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"If she was to go heel, if that’s a character that’s truly within her, if it’s a Jon Jones type, where there’s a bad guy just wanting to come through and is doing the best to conceal, then she could be a real natural. She could have some fun. She might be able to get more attention and more headlines."

Watch Chael Sonnen elaborate on Shevchenko’s heel turn below:

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