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UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has called for flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko to adjust her usual approach this weekend.
On Saturday, Shevchenko will take to the Octagon in pursuit of the latest ruby on her 125-pound championship belt. Since defeating Joanna J?drzejczyk to win the gold in 2018, “Bullet” has successfully brushed aside seven challenges to her reign, including from Liz Carmouche and Jéssica Andrade.
The next woman to attempt to bring the lengthy rule of Shevchenko to a close will be Alexa Grasso. Following four wins in a row and a successful main event debut against Viviane Araújo last October, the Mexican will battle the Kyrgyzstani in the co-main event of the Jon Jones-headlined UFC 285.
While the term dominance has been synonymous with Shevchenko’s ongoing stint on the throne, her aura of invincibility in the division took a hit last June when Taila Santos gave her all she could handle at the Singapore-held UFC 275 event.
With that, Shevchenko will no doubt be searching for a more emphatic retention in Las Vegas on March 4, something one of her fellow UFC titleholders has also called for.
Volkanovski Calls For Shevchenko To Become The Aggressor
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, featherweight king and recent lightweight challenger Alexander Volkanovski broke down and provided his predictions for Saturday’s pay-per-view card.
On the co-main event, the Australian recalled training with Shevchenko in Thailand and touting her as one to watch. With that in mind, “Alexander the Great” has a sizable appreciation for her talents, which he expects “Bullet” to use en route to victory over Grasso.
“Valentina’s my girl. She’s the GOAT, mate,” Volkanovski said. “She’s good. I used to train with her a while ago back in Thailand, and I was telling everyone back then, ‘Watch this girl, ’cause she’s gonna go heaps far.’ We knew how good of a striker she was, and I knew her Muay Thai clinches, and I knew her grappling and wrestling wasn’t too bad as well.
“Her last fight, she had to go through some adversity with the grappling. But I guarantee you Pavel (Fedotov), her coach, has worked on that,” Volkanovski continued. “I don’t think Alexa has much for her. Obviously, I’m always gonna be bias, but I don’t think it’s bias because I know her. She’s legit. She’s the champ.”
But while he has a clear soft spot for the flyweight champ owing to their history, Volkanovski did call for Shevchenko to adjust her approach moving forward.
After pointing out the Kyrgyzstani’s tendency to favor counter-striking over being the aggressor, which was on display during her defense against Lauren Murphy in 2021, the Aussie encouraged her to become the initiator at UFC 285.
“She’s more of a counter-fighter… She’s the type of fighter, because she’s so good and got such a good eye, I feel like she can probably do a little more offensively,” Volkanovski assessed. “Like, I feel like she could make the first move more. She’s usually a counter-fighter. She’s really good at it and it’s been working.
“But, I feel she’s in a position where she can definitely dictate the fight wherever it goes, whether she wants to initiate the first combos or initiate the first action. I feel like she’s so good that she can do that,” Volkanovski concluded.
Following a widely debated decision victory over Santos last time out, which even saw a foot injury prevent her patented post-fight celebration, Shevchenko will be looking to remind the division that she’s as strong as ever come March 4 — and return to her dancing ways in the center of the Octagon.
Image: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Do you agree with Alexander Volkanovski? Would you like to see Valentina Shevchenko fight with more urgency at UFC 285?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has called for flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko to adjust her usual approach this weekend.
On Saturday, Shevchenko will take to the Octagon in pursuit of the latest ruby on her 125-pound championship belt. Since defeating Joanna J?drzejczyk to win the gold in 2018, “Bullet” has successfully brushed aside seven challenges to her reign, including from Liz Carmouche and Jéssica Andrade.
The next woman to attempt to bring the lengthy rule of Shevchenko to a close will be Alexa Grasso. Following four wins in a row and a successful main event debut against Viviane Araújo last October, the Mexican will battle the Kyrgyzstani in the co-main event of the Jon Jones-headlined UFC 285.
While the term dominance has been synonymous with Shevchenko’s ongoing stint on the throne, her aura of invincibility in the division took a hit last June when Taila Santos gave her all she could handle at the Singapore-held UFC 275 event.
With that, Shevchenko will no doubt be searching for a more emphatic retention in Las Vegas on March 4, something one of her fellow UFC titleholders has also called for.
Volkanovski Calls For Shevchenko To Become The Aggressor
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, featherweight king and recent lightweight challenger Alexander Volkanovski broke down and provided his predictions for Saturday’s pay-per-view card.
On the co-main event, the Australian recalled training with Shevchenko in Thailand and touting her as one to watch. With that in mind, “Alexander the Great” has a sizable appreciation for her talents, which he expects “Bullet” to use en route to victory over Grasso.
“Valentina’s my girl. She’s the GOAT, mate,” Volkanovski said. “She’s good. I used to train with her a while ago back in Thailand, and I was telling everyone back then, ‘Watch this girl, ’cause she’s gonna go heaps far.’ We knew how good of a striker she was, and I knew her Muay Thai clinches, and I knew her grappling and wrestling wasn’t too bad as well.
“Her last fight, she had to go through some adversity with the grappling. But I guarantee you Pavel (Fedotov), her coach, has worked on that,” Volkanovski continued. “I don’t think Alexa has much for her. Obviously, I’m always gonna be bias, but I don’t think it’s bias because I know her. She’s legit. She’s the champ.”
But while he has a clear soft spot for the flyweight champ owing to their history, Volkanovski did call for Shevchenko to adjust her approach moving forward.
After pointing out the Kyrgyzstani’s tendency to favor counter-striking over being the aggressor, which was on display during her defense against Lauren Murphy in 2021, the Aussie encouraged her to become the initiator at UFC 285.
“She’s more of a counter-fighter… She’s the type of fighter, because she’s so good and got such a good eye, I feel like she can probably do a little more offensively,” Volkanovski assessed. “Like, I feel like she could make the first move more. She’s usually a counter-fighter. She’s really good at it and it’s been working.
“But, I feel she’s in a position where she can definitely dictate the fight wherever it goes, whether she wants to initiate the first combos or initiate the first action. I feel like she’s so good that she can do that,” Volkanovski concluded.
Following a widely debated decision victory over Santos last time out, which even saw a foot injury prevent her patented post-fight celebration, Shevchenko will be looking to remind the division that she’s as strong as ever come March 4 — and return to her dancing ways in the center of the Octagon.
Image: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Do you agree with Alexander Volkanovski? Would you like to see Valentina Shevchenko fight with more urgency at UFC 285?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
On Saturday, Shevchenko will take to the Octagon in pursuit of the latest ruby on her 125-pound championship belt. Since defeating Joanna J?drzejczyk to win the gold in 2018, “Bullet” has successfully brushed aside seven challenges to her reign, including from Liz Carmouche and Jéssica Andrade.
The next woman to attempt to bring the lengthy rule of Shevchenko to a close will be Alexa Grasso. Following four wins in a row and a successful main event debut against Viviane Araújo last October, the Mexican will battle the Kyrgyzstani in the co-main event of the Jon Jones-headlined UFC 285.
While the term dominance has been synonymous with Shevchenko’s ongoing stint on the throne, her aura of invincibility in the division took a hit last June when Taila Santos gave her all she could handle at the Singapore-held UFC 275 event.
With that, Shevchenko will no doubt be searching for a more emphatic retention in Las Vegas on March 4, something one of her fellow UFC titleholders has also called for.
Volkanovski Calls For Shevchenko To Become The Aggressor
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, featherweight king and recent lightweight challenger Alexander Volkanovski broke down and provided his predictions for Saturday’s pay-per-view card.
On the co-main event, the Australian recalled training with Shevchenko in Thailand and touting her as one to watch. With that in mind, “Alexander the Great” has a sizable appreciation for her talents, which he expects “Bullet” to use en route to victory over Grasso.
“Valentina’s my girl. She’s the GOAT, mate,” Volkanovski said. “She’s good. I used to train with her a while ago back in Thailand, and I was telling everyone back then, ‘Watch this girl, ’cause she’s gonna go heaps far.’ We knew how good of a striker she was, and I knew her Muay Thai clinches, and I knew her grappling and wrestling wasn’t too bad as well.
“Her last fight, she had to go through some adversity with the grappling. But I guarantee you Pavel (Fedotov), her coach, has worked on that,” Volkanovski continued. “I don’t think Alexa has much for her. Obviously, I’m always gonna be bias, but I don’t think it’s bias because I know her. She’s legit. She’s the champ.”
But while he has a clear soft spot for the flyweight champ owing to their history, Volkanovski did call for Shevchenko to adjust her approach moving forward.
After pointing out the Kyrgyzstani’s tendency to favor counter-striking over being the aggressor, which was on display during her defense against Lauren Murphy in 2021, the Aussie encouraged her to become the initiator at UFC 285.
“She’s more of a counter-fighter… She’s the type of fighter, because she’s so good and got such a good eye, I feel like she can probably do a little more offensively,” Volkanovski assessed. “Like, I feel like she could make the first move more. She’s usually a counter-fighter. She’s really good at it and it’s been working.
“But, I feel she’s in a position where she can definitely dictate the fight wherever it goes, whether she wants to initiate the first combos or initiate the first action. I feel like she’s so good that she can do that,” Volkanovski concluded.
Following a widely debated decision victory over Santos last time out, which even saw a foot injury prevent her patented post-fight celebration, Shevchenko will be looking to remind the division that she’s as strong as ever come March 4 — and return to her dancing ways in the center of the Octagon.
Image: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Do you agree with Alexander Volkanovski? Would you like to see Valentina Shevchenko fight with more urgency at UFC 285?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has called for flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko to adjust her usual approach this weekend.
On Saturday, Shevchenko will take to the Octagon in pursuit of the latest ruby on her 125-pound championship belt. Since defeating Joanna J?drzejczyk to win the gold in 2018, “Bullet” has successfully brushed aside seven challenges to her reign, including from Liz Carmouche and Jéssica Andrade.
The next woman to attempt to bring the lengthy rule of Shevchenko to a close will be Alexa Grasso. Following four wins in a row and a successful main event debut against Viviane Araújo last October, the Mexican will battle the Kyrgyzstani in the co-main event of the Jon Jones-headlined UFC 285.
While the term dominance has been synonymous with Shevchenko’s ongoing stint on the throne, her aura of invincibility in the division took a hit last June when Taila Santos gave her all she could handle at the Singapore-held UFC 275 event.
With that, Shevchenko will no doubt be searching for a more emphatic retention in Las Vegas on March 4, something one of her fellow UFC titleholders has also called for.
Volkanovski Calls For Shevchenko To Become The Aggressor
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, featherweight king and recent lightweight challenger Alexander Volkanovski broke down and provided his predictions for Saturday’s pay-per-view card.
On the co-main event, the Australian recalled training with Shevchenko in Thailand and touting her as one to watch. With that in mind, “Alexander the Great” has a sizable appreciation for her talents, which he expects “Bullet” to use en route to victory over Grasso.
“Valentina’s my girl. She’s the GOAT, mate,” Volkanovski said. “She’s good. I used to train with her a while ago back in Thailand, and I was telling everyone back then, ‘Watch this girl, ’cause she’s gonna go heaps far.’ We knew how good of a striker she was, and I knew her Muay Thai clinches, and I knew her grappling and wrestling wasn’t too bad as well.
“Her last fight, she had to go through some adversity with the grappling. But I guarantee you Pavel (Fedotov), her coach, has worked on that,” Volkanovski continued. “I don’t think Alexa has much for her. Obviously, I’m always gonna be bias, but I don’t think it’s bias because I know her. She’s legit. She’s the champ.”
But while he has a clear soft spot for the flyweight champ owing to their history, Volkanovski did call for Shevchenko to adjust her approach moving forward.
After pointing out the Kyrgyzstani’s tendency to favor counter-striking over being the aggressor, which was on display during her defense against Lauren Murphy in 2021, the Aussie encouraged her to become the initiator at UFC 285.
“She’s more of a counter-fighter… She’s the type of fighter, because she’s so good and got such a good eye, I feel like she can probably do a little more offensively,” Volkanovski assessed. “Like, I feel like she could make the first move more. She’s usually a counter-fighter. She’s really good at it and it’s been working.
“But, I feel she’s in a position where she can definitely dictate the fight wherever it goes, whether she wants to initiate the first combos or initiate the first action. I feel like she’s so good that she can do that,” Volkanovski concluded.
Following a widely debated decision victory over Santos last time out, which even saw a foot injury prevent her patented post-fight celebration, Shevchenko will be looking to remind the division that she’s as strong as ever come March 4 — and return to her dancing ways in the center of the Octagon.
Do you agree with Alexander Volkanovski? Would you like to see Valentina Shevchenko fight with more urgency at UFC 285?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
