When you think about female MMA fighters, depending on your level of familiarity with fighting, your mind may wander to many different faces. Maybe you think about the beautiful fighter turned actress, Gina Carano. Maybe you think about the tough and well known Cris Cyborg. But, you should also go directly to one of the baddest women on the planet, Valentina Shevchenko. Let’s take a look at why Bullet Shevchenko made our list of Featured Alphas.
- Born in 1988 in the former USSR (now known as Kyrgyzstan) to a Ukrainian family.
- Her mother is a multiple time Muay Thai champion.
- Her father served in the Soviet Navy during the Cold War.
- Shevchenko started training martial arts at age 5.
- She started Vale Tudo (essentially, early MMA with fewer rules) fighting at age of 12.
- She earned her nickname “Bullet” due to her speed in the ring after knocking out a 22 year old at the ripe age of 12.
- She has more than 50 pro fight wins in boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing prior to her MMA career.
- She is 23 and 3 in MMA and is ranked #2 in the world at the time of this post.
- She is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish (due to her time spent in Peru as she is also a Peruvian citizen).
- She has a black belt in Judo which is in addition to her world class striking.
- She has been training in firearms since 2006 and often competes in pistol shooting competitions.
- Her sister, Antonina, is also on the UFC roster.