"Looks like the same person that fought Amanda Nunes" - Top UFC light heavyweight feels Valentina Shevchenko hasn't evolved much of late
A former UFC light heavyweight title contender doesn't believe Valentina Shevchenko has evolved as a fighter in recent years.
Shevchenko is currently set to face Alexa Grasso at UFC Fight Night 227 this weekend in a rematch for the flyweight title. Grasso had previously caused one of the year's biggest upsets when she submitted 'Bullet' in the fourth round of their bout at UFC 285 to become the champion.
Before her surprising loss to Grasso, Shevchenko had been one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. After a defeat to Amanda Nunes in 2018, the Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian won her next nine fights in a row, which included a record-setting seven women's flyweight title defenses.
Ahead of the highly anticipated rematch this weekend, Anthony Smith gave his thoughts on Valentina Shevchenko and where she's at in her career during an episode of the Believe You Me podcast.
According to 'Lionheart', Shevchenko burst onto the scene in the UFC as one of the most skilled fighters in the organization. Smith stated, however, that he believes she has now stagnated while her competition has started to raise their game:
"She's not evolving. Valentina Shevchenko was so far ahead of everybody else 10 years ago... When I'm breaking down film, she's evolved some of her techniques and added a lot of things to her game, but if you watch her fight, time and time again she looks like the same person that fought Amanda Nunes the first time... Who's grown more between the first fight and this Saturday? I'd imagine it's Alexa Grasso."
Catch Smith's comments here (14:40):
Daniel Cormier breaks down Valentina Shevchenko's aura ahead of Noche UFC
Daniel Cormier believes he's cracked the case in regards to Valentina Shevchenko's persona ahead of her rematch against Alexa Grasso this weekend.
Instead of her usual confident self, 'Bullet' has appeared cold and calculated during her media duties this week, with many noting the stark difference to how she has acted previously.
Cormier has since weighed in and believes it's due to Shevchenko being more dialed in on her opponent than she has been previously. According to 'DC', the 35-year-old is disappointed with her last two performances and will be looking to make a statement to the fans whose opinion of her may have changed.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier said:
"Not only did she lose her championship, we got to go back to her Taila Santos fight. It's not like she dominated that fight as she had been dominating on her title run. Maybe that's why she's a little bit more frustrated in regard to how the public views her and how she feels going into this rematch."
Catch Cormier's comments here (3:00):