There will always be injuries in the fight game, and it is improbable that a fighter will ever come away from the fight unscathed. When entering the octagon, an athlete’s main objective is to inflict as much damage as possible to their opponent. It was an incredibly close fight this past Saturday, and it is easy to see how Valentina Shevchenko could have come away with an injury.
Valentina Shevchenko On Injury
It was an extremely close fight between Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso, ultimately ending in a draw. There have been many complaints since the contest happened, due to the scoring of the fifth and final round. Judge Mike Bell scored the last five minutes as 10-8. The scoring ultimately cost Shevchenko the title, which means you can understand why there is so much controversy about the decision. Both fighters came out more aggressive, especially Shevchenko. As you could tell, she was hungry to get her belt back. However, this could have come at a cost as she sustained injury in the first round of the fight. Shevchenko spoke at the post-fight press conference about her damage in the title fight.
“I broke my thumb in the first round, and it’s fractured,” Shevchenko said the night of the fight at the Noche UFC post-fight press conference. “I felt it affect my striking, but at the same time, I thought, If I stop, it’s going to be very frustrating for the whole fans for this night because they were waiting for this fight, they wanted to see this fight, and If I stopped in the first round and said, ‘I cannot continue.’ Again, that’s against my personal rules. That’s why I continued to fight with my whole heart. I did everything to secure the victory. But because it’s Mexican Independence Day, it affected the decision of the judges to give a 10-8 in the fifth round.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
She then took X to the social media platform to say that she needed surgery on her hand.
What Is Next?
When thinking about what is next for Shevchenko, she will be on the sidelines for a few months at the least. However, when she returns, it is easy to see her getting a third shot at the title because both meetings have been incredibly close. Furthermore, many people believe that she should have won the second fight. Yet if that doesn’t happen, there are many top contenders at flyweight Shevchenko can take on.
Shevchenko is a legend of the sport. It will be great to see back in action as soon as possible.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
