Valentina Shevchenko's sister retires from UFC, reveals new career

Valentina Shevchenko is one of the all-time great women's MMA fighters and her sister Antonina Shevchenko carved out her own respectable path in the sport which has now officially come to an end. After embarking on a 4-4 run inside the UFC's octagon, Antonina Shevchenko will be hanging up the gloves as per a social media post on her personal Instagram page.

The 40-year-old combatant last stepped inside the octagon in July 2022 when Shevchenko secured a split decision victory over Cortney Casey. The hiatus was partially informed by her focus on becoming a mother as Antonina Shevchenko gave birth last Sept.

The mixed martial artist who came aboard in 2018 through 'Dana White's Contender Series' specified that she will now be focusing on raising her son as well as a career as a pilot. In an excerpt of her retirement announcement, Antonina Shevchenko said:

"I didn't have the opportunity to leave my gloves in the octagon by tradition, I didn't think my fight in UFC in 2022 would be the last. 'I am leaving my gloves' in this post. 30 years in sport, black belt 3rd dan in Taekwondo, 11 world champion titles in Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA."

"More than 400 fights in amateurs and professionals, Asian and South American champion, UFC fighter. This is how I finish my career in professional sport."

Check out Antonina Shevchenko's full combat sports retirement address below:

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Valentina Shevchenko keen on super fight after UFC 315

While her sister has taken a bow from the world of competitive combat sports, Valentina Shevchenko marches onward with some big challenges ahead. While the reigning UFC flyweight champion has her next booking locked in for UFC 315 in May as she defends her title against Manon Fiorot, there are also potentially massive fights for Shevchenko with combatants from other divisions.

Many in the MMA world want to see a champion vs. champion matchup in the women's ranks, of which there has only been one such fight previously, and the desired opponent for Valentina in the eyes of many is UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

The 37-year-old mentioned in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show that Weili was not discussed as Shevchenko's next opponent before the Fiorot contract came in. When asked if she would be intrigued in fighting Weili next should she get past Fiorot in Montreal, Valentina Shevchenko stated (via Uncrowned):

"Why not? Who else? I think it would be [an] amazing fight. I think it would be something that fans would love to see."

Check out Valentina Shevchenko's full interview below: