UFC commentator Joe Rogan could only heap praise on Valentina Shevchenko during a recent podcast episode.
The UFC women’s flyweight champion appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience and the topic of her dominant title reign naturally popped up.
Shevchenko is coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 last month in what marked her eighth win in a row as well as her sixth title defense.
With little to no trouble faced for Shevchenko during that run, many have become almost uninterested in her title fights while others have repeatedly called for her to face Amanda Nunes in a trilogy fight.
As far as Rogan is concerned, Shevchenko is now facing the same situation that former middleweight king Anderson Silva did during his prime.
“You’re not just the UFC champion, you’re one of the best champions,” Rogan told Shevchenko. “It’s very unique to watch you fight because you’re one of those people like Anderson Silva in his prime where you’ve cleaned out your division. It’s no disrespect to your opponents, but some of your opponents, when I’m watching you fight them, I’m not thinking are they going to beat you. I’m thinking, what are you going to do to them?
“It’s a strange position to be in where you’re almost like competing against these women but your level is so much higher than everyone else in this 125-pound division that there’s not much there for you where it’s like, ‘Valentina has to fight this woman.’ There’s no fight like that for you.”
Shevchenko Details Her Goal In A Fight
To that, Shevchenko smiled and revealed what she hoped to accomplish every time she goes into a fight.
“I think that definitely this is one of my goals, in my performance, in my training,” she responded. “The idea of my fight style — to be able to win the fight, make the fight very beautiful from the technical side, very intensive, high-level martial arts. But in the same time, without doing it like a dirty fight, street fight. Different level, when you can finish your opponent without them touching you.
“This is like ideally my ideal [fight].”
Given how her flyweight run has gone, it’s hard to argue against Shevchenko’s tactics. Even if not all her title fights end up being entertaining as a whole as a result.
You can watch the clip below:
