"That makes me so angry and sad!" - Valentina Shevchenko's sister pens lengthy statement on Noche UFC result

Valentina Shevchenko's sister has written a lengthy statement regarding the result of her most recent fight. Shevchenko's latest octagon outing witnessed her face UFC women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso in a title rematch that headlined the Noche UFC event (September 16th, 2023).

Shevchenko's lengthy reign as the UFC women's flyweight champion was ended by Grasso, who beat 'Bullet' via fourth-round submission in their back-and-forth first fight in March 2023.

Their rematch was a back-and-forth fight, albeit one that ended in a split draw. Judge Sal D'Amato scored it for Shevchenko, judge Junichiro Kamijo scored it for Grasso, and judge Mike Bell scored it a draw. Resultantly, the title didn't change hands, and Grasso retained the belt.

Valentina Shevchenko's older sister and UFC flyweight athlete Antonina Shevchenko has now posted a statement on Instagram in the Russian language, which was reposted by 'Bullet'. The older Shevchenko suggested that her sister is the true champion. 'La Pantera' wrote:

"Valya, you are our champion! @bulletvalentina I regret that instead of a deserved victory, the result of the battle was a "draw" That makes me so angry and sad! What with the meanness of one referee who put the score 10-8 in the fifth round, today you are not belt as it should be honestly!"

Antonina Shevchenko lambasted Mike Bell for giving Grasso a 10-8 score in round five and noted that Valentina Shevchenko would be the champion if it weren't for that score. She then pointed out that 'Bullet' suffered a gruesome finger injury in round one but didn't complain to her corner and kept following the game plan of boxing her opponent.

Furthermore, Antonina Shevchenko referenced the knees Alexa Grasso landed while Valentina Shevchenko appeared to have her hands on the mat. Highlighting the knees, some of which also seemed to land on the back of the head, the older Shevchenko explained that 'Bullet' didn't let them faze her. 'La Pantera' added:

"Please don't be upset my dear sister! Anybody who has seen this fight knows you are the winner! It was a beautiful spectacle duel between two top-tier fighters, with awesome MMA technique that can be watched many times. I admire your technique, character, strength of spirit, fanaticism, love of martial arts, and life in general! You are my example! I love you" [*Translation courtesy: Instagram]

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What's next for Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso?

The judges' verdict at Noche UFC has seemingly divided the MMA community's view regarding which fighter deserved the victory more. Valentina Shevchenko has asserted that she's the rightful winner of the rematch and has expressed interest in facing Alexa Grasso in a trilogy showdown.

On the other hand, Alexa Grasso didn't seem too keen on an immediate trilogy fight but implied that she'll discuss her next step with her team before moving forward. As of this time, it's unclear as to whether the UFC would book a Shevchenko-Grasso trilogy next or have Grasso defend the title against top contender Erin Blanchfield.