How old are Antonina and Valentina Shevchenko and where are they from?

Sisters Antonina and Valentina Shevchenko have both competed in the flyweight division of the UFC. Antonina, born November 20, 1984, is the elder sister, while Valentina, who was born March 7, 1988, is the younger one.

Their mother is Elena Shevchenko, the president of Kyrgyzstan's national Muay Thai Association and a former Muay Thai champion. Their father is Anatoly Shevchenko, a veteran of the Cold War who served in the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy.

Both sisters were born in Frunze, the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan, now called Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan, also called Kirghizia, was still part of the USSR at the time. As a result, their family had Soviet and later Kyrgyzstani citizenship.

Fight day ! 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻All the support to my sister @AntoninaPantera ! She is ready, strong and focused ! Let’s go La Pantera !!! 🔥🔥🔥 #UFC262 Houston. Texas. May 15, 2021 pic.twitter.com/RCUC0fuo2i

— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) May 15, 2021

Valentina Shevchenko began her kickboxing career around 2000 at the age of 12, when she knocked out a 22-year-old opponent. She earned the nickname 'Bullet' from their lifelong coach, Pavel Fedotov, because of her speed and agility inside the cage.

Later in 2007, Valentina and Antonina Shevchenko traveled to Peru with Fedotov and gained Peruvian citizenship a year later.

Valentina has occasionally described herself as 'Russian' in media interviews. She is fluent in Russian, English, and Spanish languages, and so is Antonina Shevchenko.

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Valentina Shevchenko never skipped being in Antonina's corner

The two sisters have always trained together since childhood. It was under the influence of Antonina and their mother that got Valentina into the sport in the first place. That has not changed now that they are in the UFC, where Valentina is the undisputed women's flyweight champion, and Antonina is ranked number twelve in the same division.

Mild-mannered and soft-spoken in general, Valentina Shevchenko can often be found in a fiery and passionate mode whenever she is cornering her sister.

Antonina Shevchenko last competed in July 2022 against Courtney Casey and won the fight via split decision. The win snapped her two-fight losing skid. However, she has not competed professionally since the victory.

Meanwhile, Valentina Shevchenko lost her UFC flyweight title to Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 via fourth-round submission. After their Noche UFC 2023 rematch ended in a split draw, 'Bullet' will attempt to get the title back at Noche UFC 306 scheduled to take place on Sept. 14.