Why Does Self-Proclaimed “Russian” Valentina Shevchenko Not Compete Under Russia’s Flag in UFC?

Valentina Shevchenko is a UFC flyweight champion who embraced her martial arts journey every step of the way. She has traveled around the world to master her skills in various forms of combat. With her global journey, she adopted many cultures and learned multiple languages. But what flag/s does she represent in the UFC?

Arguably the greatest female fighter of all time, ‘Bullet‘ has a history of living in countries like Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Peru, Thailand, and, of course, the United States.

What country Valentina Shevchenko represents in the UFC?

Valentina Shevchenko represents the flags of Peru and Kyrgyzstan in the UFC. Her cornermen can often be spotted holding these two countries’ flags behind ‘Bullet’.

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Shevchenko was born in Kyrgyzstan. And her roots in Peru come from her extended time in the country.

Shevchenko and her trainer went on a tour to Peru, where they taught Muay Thai lessons. Their popularity in the region grew at a rapid speed, hence they continued to stay in Peru on what was originally a six months tour.

Shevchenko also competed for a long time in Thailand. However, according to her, she doesn’t represent Thailand as there are multiple fighters already who raise the Thai flag. That said, Shevchenko expressed she definitely represents Muay Thai as a sport in her UFC fights.

Her win against a decorated kickboxer, boxer, and former bantamweight champion in Holly Holm was a highlight of her stand-up skills and her Muay Thai representation.

What was Valentina’s background in her homeland?

Since ‘Bullet’ was born in Kyrgyzstan, her journey to the top of the UFC began in her homeland.

‘Bullet’ and her elder sister Antonia Shevchenko started training in Muay Thai and kickboxing at an early age. Both found unbelievable success on the regional scene, so much so that they were having a hard time finding opponents, which eventually led them to move to other countries.

Even after getting all the success in the UFC, Shevchenko has an immense admiration for the people of Kyrgyzstan.

Valentina Shevchenko went back to her home country after achieving the ultimate feat in the UFC. And the reception she received was something she would have never imagined, chiefly coming from humble beginnings.

How is Valentina Shevchenko connected to Russia?

Though ‘Bullet’ represents Peru and Kyrgyzstan’s flag in the UFC, her ties are also from Russia. The female flyweight UFC champion’s grandmother moved from Russia to Kyrgyzstan a long time ago, thus she considers herself a ‘Russian’, she told MMAJunkie.

After starting her martial arts journey in Kyrgyzstan, she went to Russia at 15. ‘Bullet’ competed for three years in Russia, as she wasn’t getting frequent matchups in her home country of Kyrgyzstan.

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While she gained valuable experience in Russia, she eventually moved to Peru and then also competed in Thailand, where she competed against her UFC counterpart Joanna Jedrzejczyk in Muay Thai bouts, before settling down in Las Vegas.

Yet, ‘Bullet’ doesn’t miss a chance to fly around the globe. And with her aspirations of learning to fly by herself like her sister Antonina Shevchenko, who is a licensed commercial pilot, she could do that more often.