Valentina Shevchenko is one of the deadliest female strikers in the UFC. With a record of 23-4-1, she rips through each tournament with her skill set in boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. We all know that she puts on a masterclass fight in the flyweight division, but this is not the only thing she is good at. ‘Bullet’ is also a multifaceted athlete who dabbles in fine arts as well. Athletes playing different sports is not a surprise, but a combat sports athlete being a top-notch dancer is something that you will not see every day.

Well, the Russian-Ukrainian athlete is an amazing dancer and has even taken part in dance reality shows in the past. What is more interesting is that the UFC fans are privy to her skillful dancing inside the octagon whenever she wins an event. So without further ado, let’s see how she got into the whole world of dance.

Valentina Shevchenko: A woman of many talents

When Shevchenko wins, which is pretty frequent for a long-time UFC women’s flyweight champion, she celebrates in the center of the octagon with an amazing dance. She spins to her heart’s delight and pays tribute to the culture of her country. She’s from the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan, and the traditional dance there is known as Lezginka. It is typically a couple dance where a woman represents the swan and moves gracefully. However, the ‘Bullet’ gives it a new twist and twirls inside after she wins.

If you enjoy watching her dance in delight, then give credit to her mother, who was the one who made Valentina and her sister, fellow UFC fighter Antonina, take up dance at a young age. Her mother reasoned that she did not want them to lose their femininity since they were busy fighting. Shevchenko spoke about this uncanny contrast in Sports Illustrated and said, “So we have to do both things: martial arts and dance.”

What is more interesting is that she not only has an amazing talent in dance but also in professional shooting as well as acting. She is so skilled at her arts that she even took part in a dance competition and won it. The 36-year-old’s skills have been witnessed by fans in more than one field. From appearing in films with Halle Berry to shooting rifles from a distance, she can do anything. When it comes to dancing, she took part in the 4th season of a Peruvian broadcast called Combate in 2013.

The UFC champ ended up winning the contest with her dance partner Alejandro “Zumba” Benitez. It also featured a segment where Shevchenko faced pro boxer David Zegarra in an exhibition wrestling match. She defeated the fighter in less than a minute. Thankfully, she did not forget her passion for dancing as she got more involved with UFC. Shevchenko still uploads YouTube videos of her dance and even does a little victory choreography after winning a fight.

‘Bullet’ still brings out the dancer in her in the UFC octagon

One such moment where she showcased her victory dance was when she successfully defended her UFC women’s flyweight title against Jessica Andrade at UFC 261. ‘Bullet’, who is known for her lightning-fast moves, showed her graceful movements after winning the fight. She celebrated with her trademark dance inside the cage.

The traditional dance, also known as the Lezgi Dance, is the national dance form of the Lezgins, and she is keeping the heritage alive. She even uploads her dance choreography on YouTube, and they get thousands of views from her fans.

The fighter with myriad skills might celebrate her victories through dance, but there was a particular time when she did not perform her trademark dance after securing a victory. She performed brilliantly at the UFC 275 co-main against Taila Santos. But the fans were disappointed to not see her dance. In the post-fight interview, a reporter asked Shevchenko why she did not do her signature dance. Surprisingly, there was an important reason behind it, and she revealed that she was injured. Shevchenko answered by saying, “Coming into the fight, I was injured. My foot was injured. And all week, fight week, the UFC Performance Institute physical therapist was working on my foot to get it back into the best shape.”

Even after being injured before the fight, ‘Bullet’ put up a deadly performance and sacrificed her trademark dance so that she could win the event. She said, “I was willing to dance, but I don’t know. We will have to do an x-ray. I hope it’s nothing serious that could delay my return to the Octagon. But this is the reason why I didn’t dance.”

But do not worry; after recovery, she is again back to dancing and does not forget to pounce on her opponents as well.

When Valentina Shevchenko fought a boxer in the dance reality show

In 2013, Shevchenko was a contestant on the fourth season of the Peruvian dance and competition reality show Combate broadcast by ATV. She placed first in the competition together with her dance partner, South American reality television star Alejandro “Zumba” Benitez. In one of the episodes, she took part in an exhibition wrestling match against Peruvian professional middleweight boxer David Zegarra, which she won by submission in less than a minute.

In August 2013, she fought against David Ziggara. “Zegarra is an excellent boxer, but I have more experience in wrestling. He thought he could beat me using only his natural strength, but it was the opposite,” Valentina Shevchenko said to Depor about the unique fight. She came out of the fight unscathed. It is so fascinating to see that she is not only a world-class fighter but also an incredible dancer and a shooting expert.

’Bullet’ is going to grace the octagon again at UFC 306 in the iconic Las Vegas Sphere against Alexa Grasso. Do you think that Shevchenko can again celebrate her victory with a dance inside the iconic venue? State your comments below.