This Saturday night (Jan. 28) Valentina Shevchenko will be in a pivotal women’s bantamweight bout against Julianna Pena. The winner will likely go on to face current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s 135-pound title holder Amanda Nunes.
It’s no secret that Pena has been brash. “The Venezuelan Vixen” has claimed Ronda Rousey ducked her for years and that fans should be grateful for taking the fight with Shevchenko.
“Bullet” told MMAJunkie.com that Pena’s trash talk has no negative impact on her:
“You can say whatever you want, but the reality is different. The main thing that I focus on are actions. Every time I look at actions. Words mean nothing.”
Shevchenko said she hasn’t lost sight of the ultimate prize. That being UFC gold.
“Every fight we have to prepare like it’s the last fight in our life. My goal is to be the champion. My focus is to win this fight, and I’m very focused.”
After going on a four-fight tear that began in 2011, Shevchenko signed a deal with the UFC. Her first opponent under the promotion was Sarah Kaufman. Her striking and control were the deciding factors in the fight as she took a split decision win.
The Russian bruiser fell short against Nunes, but her strong showing in the final round left fans and analysts wondering what would’ve happened if the fight had gone five rounds. “Bullet” rebounded nicely with a one-sided unanimous decision win over former UFC women’s bantamweight title holder Holly Holm.
UFC on FOX from Denver will be taking place inside the Pepsi Center. The co-main event features a welterweight tilt between Donald Cerrone and Jorge Masvidal. Heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou will take on former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski.
Also on the main card will be a featherweight battle between Alex Caceres and Jason Knight.
