Exclusive Q&A: ‘I'm a better fighter and a better person,’ says Valentina Shevchenko after her win over Manon Fiorot

At 37, Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1) defended the flyweight belt in the co-main event of UFC 315. She won by unanimous decision against France's Manon Fiorot (12-2). 

A week after her fight, DAZN News spoke to the champion, who now has 10 wins from title fights.

DAZN News: After the fight, you told Manon that you didn't want her to retire. Could you come back to that?

Valentina Shevchenko: Because of all these things that happened before the fight - who wins and who loses, that person will retire - I just wanted to make it clear: it’s not because of me, not because of what I said. She started it first. I understand, and I know exactly what it means for a martial artist to be present, to keep going on the journey. I don't want some silly words to affect someone's career. I just wanted to make it clear that no, you don't have to follow your words.

DN: What did you think of Manon Fiorot's performance?

VS: Exactly what I was prepared for in the fight. I knew that it was going to be a good fight. I had to do everything to win. I knew that so many words were said by her before the fight, leading up to the fight - not very pleasant words, saying all kinds of things. But I knew they were very sure of her victory, but they didn't see the full picture. I don't know why, but they didn’t look at the full picture.

DN: She criticised you a lot before the fight. Did that affect you?

VS: Oh, no. She was doing so much media, saying so many words. I felt it was more like trying to destabilize a fighter before the fight - putting out all this crazy stuff and hoping that it was going to affect me somehow, in some way. But I've been in the sport for so many years. In martial arts, I've had all kinds of situations and motivations. If someone thinks that it can potentially destabilize me or affect me emotionally, they are so wrong - very wrong. I know exactly how to block myself from everything happening around and focus on what I have to keep, how I have to conserve, and how much I have to keep my energy inside me. For the most important thing: the fight. It's not about talk, it's not about speaking - it’s about what matters.

DN: Natalia Silva won against Alexa Grasso. Weili Zhang is the current champion of the strawweight. What's next for you?

VS: Right now, I'm a fighter with this kind of philosophy. I always said: I'm very focused on one step at a time, because it’s most important to pass this step, to win the fight, and then think about what’s next. This is how I approach every next fight, every next name. Right now, during the week after the fight, I prefer not to think about what is upcoming, because there's still too much adrenaline going. It's still there. You cannot just wake up the next morning after the fight and feel like a new person. No, it takes time to get back into the normal schedule and make up your mind and focus on the next chapter, next training, and everything. Once my body and mind are a little bit rested, I already start to plan when the next fight is and who the next opponent is. I’m the kind of fighter who always accepts the fight, no matter who the UFC approaches me with, no matter the name of the next opponent. I'm not the one who’s like, "Okay, this is the list and I will pick." No. Whoever they want me to fight next, I will do that. Another question is what the fans want most - who they want me to fight next.

DN: In 2017, you won by submission against Julianna Peña, now the bantamweight champion. Could you go for her belt?

VS: It's an interesting question because we fought, and Julianna is an amazing fighter. I like her - how she fights. She has very strong grappling. She has her upcoming fight next month, and I’m wishing her the best of luck. I hope she will defend, because she deserves to defend this belt and still be champion. You cannot discard any opportunities. Everything is possible. You never know what’s tomorrow, how you can say what you're going to do in a month or two. But for now, I feel very comfortable fighting in the 125 (lb) weight class - my natural weight class. I truly feel that this is the weight class where I belong.

DN: 10 wins in fights for the belt. Only Amanda Nunes does better in the women's division with 11. Georges St-Pierre has 13. Jon Jones has the record at 16. Do you think about it?

VS: I never even considered that before the media brought it up before the fight. I feel like, definitely, before the fight, they started to come up with numbers and all these crazy things. But you just don't want to think about it, because the most important thing for you is to focus on your fight, and everything that gets into your head is distracting. You don't want to be distracted. But now, after the fight, definitely, you can think about it - you can reflect on it. But at the same time, if you're going to think too much about it, it’s going to get into you too deep. To be successful and to keep your champion’s journey, you have to focus more on your inner spirit - on your training, proper recovery, proper lifestyle - because it's very important. Me, being in martial arts for more than 30 years, actively competing all this time, it means a lot, because you cannot have an extended fighter's life without a very good balance between training, rest, recovery, proper nutrition, and everything. To keep your body and mind young, you really have to work on it. That’s why I take everything very seriously - not just to get something, but to do everything possible to keep doing what I love the most and compete as long as I can.

DN: You're 37 years old. How do you feel about it? How much longer do you see yourself continuing?

VS: People talk about age and whatever. But I don't feel like that is such a big age, or that it’s a lot. I feel so much energy inside me, and I believe so much in myself. Especially now, in the modern world, when we have all the supplements, all the vitamins, minerals - people don't even leave their houses without taking omega-3. It's helping a lot. It moved aging by, I don't know, 20 years. Now, it’s not the same as it was before. I remember in the time of my grandmothers, they gave omega-3 supplements only to children - preschool children. That’s it. That’s why aging was different back then. Now, with a healthy and active lifestyle, with lots of exercise and sport in your life, it’s completely different. Now, what was considered 30 before is like 27 now, and no one says anything. That’s why it’s not about the number or the age. It’s about how you keep your body and mind healthy and young. That’s the most important thing. I feel I still can give so much, because if I compare myself to the version of me from a few years ago, I’m a completely different fighter. Now I have so many more weapons, so much more knowledge, so much more power. It’s good to consider that I’m just a better fighter and a better person - without losing a bit of energy or this young spirit.