Getty UFC's Valentina Schevchenko
Valentina Shevchenko is one of the most unique and successful human beings on the planet. The UFC women’s flyweight champion is set to star opposite Halle Berry is a yet-to-be-released feature film entitled “Bruised” and did double duty over recent months filming her part in the movie while training for her next fight.
Shevchenko faces No. 1 contender Katlyn Chookagian Saturday night in the co-main event at UFC 247 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Schevchenko is one of the most dominant fighters in the world today. But the women’s pound-for-pound No. 2 fighter in the world behind Amanda Nunes told Heavy her hopes and dreams of hitting it big on the big screen weren’t something that she would let interfere with her championship reign.
“It was a great opportunity, so of course I accepted it because I think we have to do in our lives everything that is interesting, everything that attracts us,” Shevchenko said.
Shevchenko earned her undergraduate degree in Film Directing from the University of Arts in Kyrgyzstan. So while starring in a Hollywood movie as the main antagonist is quite a huge deal for just about anyone from any walk of life, it’s not as if the role came as all that big of a surprise to Schevchenko.
“Of course it was something I knew I was going to do someday, sometime in my life,” Shevchenko said.
Still, Shevchenko said landing the gig opposite a huge celebrity like Berry isn’t the kind of thing that would keep her from focusing on the task at hand this weekend. In fact, Schevchenko said she wouldn’t let any role in any movie ever keep her from focusing on staying on top of her sport she loves.
“But being a martial artist, being a fighter, for me it’s number one,” Shevchenko said.
Schevchenko has been a fighter for most of her life. Before transitioning into MMA, she was one of the most decorated Muay Thai fighters and kickboxers in the world. For Schevchenko, fighting is everything.
“It’s my life,” Shevchenko said. “It’s everything that I want to do. It’s everything that I want to be.”
So Shevchenko said that all she wanted to do for as long as she can is fight, and the fighter also told us she’s not planning on giving up her UFC title belt anytime soon. The 31-year-old told us lots of other stuff, too. Be sure to watch the rest of Heavy’s interview with the champ below.
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