Valentina Shevchenko’s ears perked up when she heard that she’d been called out by Kayla Harrison, but for now, her focus remains entirely on her next fight.
Shevchenko (25-4-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC) is preparing to face former strawweight champion Zhang Weili (26-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the co-main event at UFC 322 later this month, and she’s tuning out all distractions until their November 15 showdown at Madison Square Garden is behind her.
Earlier this week, UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison hinted that she may be lining up a fight with Amanda Nunes in the near future, and said she’d like to follow that up with a superfight against Shevchenko, possibly at the White House next spring.
"I heard she brought some other names as well," Shevchenko told MMA Junkie of Harrison. "She called Amanda, right? She called Ronda (Rousey), and from all three names, it's only one name that's still an active fighter. The other ones are like eight years retired, four years retired. Kayla is a very good fighter, very good athlete, very physically strong, and definitely it's going to be a great fight – but I'm not looking past my fight."
Flyweight titleholder Shevchenko is no stranger to competing at 135 pounds, having started her UFC career there. Two losses to Nunes saw her move down to 125 pounds, and both fighters ruled their division’s concurrently for many years.
While a potential third bout between the pair was often rumored, it never came to fruition.
"For a long time, (Nunes) was the only reason why I would return to 135," Shevchenko said. "It was just one name, unfinished business what I had with Amanda. When she retired, I lost interest for that, and now, let's see. The rumor is that she's un-retired, but let's see if it's a reality."
