"She's a little bit more frustrated" - Daniel Cormier breaks down Valentina Shevchenko 's scary aura ahead of Alexa Grasso rematch
Valentina Shevchenko is set to face Alexa Grasso in a women's flyweight title rematch at Noche UFC this weekend. Ahead of her upcoming challenge, 'Bullet' has adopted a rather chilling demeanor instead of her usual confident self, and it seems Daniel Cormier knows why.
Shevchenko defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 to win the vacant women's flyweight championship. After that, 'Bullet' accumulated seven successful title defenses and was booked against Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 for her eighth. In the fourth round of their contest, Grasso secured a stunning face-crank submission to take home the 125-pound strap.
Given her resume, the UFC awarded Valentina Shevchenko an immediate rematch against Alexa Grasso. In the build-up to their fight, the Kyrgyzstan native seemed much more solemn and dialed in on her opponent than usual.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Daniel Cormier suggested that Shevchenko's demeanor could be due to her being frustrated about her last two performances and the resulting change in the public perception of her. He stated:
"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 below (3:00):
Erin Blanchfield slams Valentina Shevchenko for being "a creature of habit"
Erin Blachfield recently discussed Noche UFC's headlining fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. The mercurial women's flyweight contender claimed that 'Bullet' has gotten predictable and lacks the drive to make the necessary adjustments during her fights.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Blanchfield recognized Shevchenko as a dangerous opponent, however, she feels the 35-year-old isn't adding any new wrinkles to her game. She said:
"I feel like she’s very much a creature of habit. She seems to do the exact same things, and she’s getting a little older, so obviously, it’s a little harder to adjust and change her game... I feel like the division is catching up to Valentina... Doesn’t make many adjustments."
Meanwhile, Erin Blachfield is among the most exciting fighters to look out for and is on an incredible nine-fight win streak. Her unbeaten run includes wins over world-class opponents like Taila Santos, Jessica Andrade, and Molly McCann. The 24-year-old will be watching the Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso fight closely as she looks to get a title shot against the winner.