5 reasons Valentina Shevchenko is better than Ronda Rousey was

#2 She is a better representative of the sport

Rousey was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in Judo, endearing herself to American followers of the grappling art. On the other hand, Valentina Shevchenko is a better representative of the sport of MMA despite not having a similar following in kickboxing.

Shevchenko has the potential for a wider international reach as an ambassador for women's MMA. She conducts herself in a more respectful manner compared to Rousey's abrasive style of engagement, rendering people with negative opinions about MMA more likely to listen to her.

Furthermore, Valentina Shevchenko is a citizen of both Peru and her native country of Kyrgyzstan. She is trilingual, able to speak English, Russian, and Spanish, rendering her a more varied and effective communicator than Rousey.

She can connect with a wider group of potential MMA fans in countries where all three languages are spoken. Due to her linguistic skills allowing her to connect with people from different backgrounds, Valentina Shevchenko will be more easily accepted by a global audience.

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#1 She has more title defenses and victories over champions

At UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko increased her title defense tally to seven. With seven title defenses to her name, she became the woman with the highest number of title defenses in UFC history.

The previous record holder was Rousey herself with six title defenses. Not only does Valentina Shevchenko have the most title defenses in UFC women's history, but she also holds wins over more UFC champions, both former and current, than Rousey does.

Rousey twice defeated Miesha Tate, who went on to become the bantamweight champion after her rival's retirement.

Valentina Shevchenko, by comparison, has wins over former strawweight champions Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, former bantamweight champion Holly Holm, who bested Rousey, and current bantamweight champion Julianna Pena.