Valentina Shevchenko recently regained her flyweight title at UFC 306 from Alexa Grasso. The five-round bout didn’t feature much action as ‘Bullet’ used her wrestling to get the win. However, the aftermath of that victory has seemingly been disappointing, as claimed by UFC legend Chael Sonnen. The UFC Hall of Famer pointed out an intriguing remark on Shevchenko’s post-fight octagon interview.
After Valentina Shevchenko’s win, Joe Rogan conducted his standard post-fight interview in the octagon. Normally, winners use this time to send a message, call out potential opponents, or discuss their next steps. However, Shevchenko didn’t do any of these things during her interview, which disappointed Chael Sonnen. As such, he even addressed this issue on his official YouTube channel.
To be able to speak seven languages and not relay a message to anyone in any corner of the world is a very bizarre thing. If you dont have a name coming out of your mouth, if you were a champion and you win and Joe Rogan is interviewing you and you dont have somebody else’s name coming out of your mouth, your other option in that moment is to retire…
Chael Sonnen on his official YouTube channel
Per Sonnen, ‘Bullet’ should have mentioned another fighter or sent out a message to the world instead of just thanking the UFC executives. The former UFC fighter also suggests that Shevchenko should consider retiring if she doesn’t see anyone as her competition.
On the other hand, Shevchenko appeared to relish her victory, celebrating with a dance-off against new bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili. Regarding their fight, both Grasso and Shevchenko are receiving a lot of criticism for their lackluster performance at UFC 306.
Chael Sonnen, in particular, recently criticized Alexa Grasso. However, It’s not just Sonnen who spoke out against the co-main fight. Interestingly, even UFC CEO Dana White gave a cryptic answer when expressing his opinions about the fight during the post-fight press conference. Additionally, two other prominent figures in the UFC community have shared their views on the matter.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso 3 at UFC 306 analyzed by former champion
Valentina Shevchenko has been a standout female MMA fighter in the UFC for around a decade. She has an astonishing UFC record, with just three losses in her 17 matches in the promotion. The fight between her and Grasso was a trilogy fight. Previously, Shevchenko had failed to win against the Mexican champion twice before that. Despite the hype, the fight did not live up to the high-intensity expectations.
Valentina Shevchenko winning against Alexa Grasso (Image via UFC)Recently, former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo commented on the performance of Shevchenko and Grasso at a recent event.
The former welterweight champion Usman, in particular, seemed dissatisfied with their fight and pointed out what he felt was lacking in their performance.
It wasnt a lot to talk about on this fight. It just seemed like these, the fighters were either they were just tired or they drained, but it just seemed like they didnt have the same urgency, the same spunk that they had…
Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound podcast
Usman also mentioned that he was disappointed with the way Grasso approached the fight. He criticized the Mexican fighter’s poor striking display. Meanwhile, Usman also noted that Shevchenko was able to hurt Grasso with a few combinations. However, most of the fight was grappling-oriented where Bullet took her shots better and reclaimed her title.
