Valentina Schevchenko is undoubtedly one of the most fearsome women on the UFC roster. Her scheduled opponent at UFC 266, Lauren Murphy, is no slouch either, but Schevchenko isn’t convinced that Murphy can offer anything the women’s flyweight champ hasn’t seen before.
A win over Murphy would be a sixth consecutive title defense for Schevchenko, whereas this is Murphy’s first assault on the title. Schevchenko dismissed the possibility of a Murphy win at the UFC 266 press conference.
Schevchenko Doubts Murphy, Expects a Long Title Reign
“[One of the] more durable athletes that I’ve ever seen? I doubt. More technical? I doubt. More well rounded? I doubt.
I don’t know. For all the years that I was fighting, it’s kind of hard to surprise me with something special if you are not a superhuman. I know she is well-rounded. I know she is strong. I know she is dangerous.
This is everything that I have to know about her. But something special that I could put pressure on my shoulders? No.”
Schevchenko may be confident, but she is not complacent. She appreciates her position in the sport and plans on defending it for as long as she can.
““It’s every time special. It’s special because of the training, preparation, and everything. No matter how many times you fight, if you’re in the right mood, you’re going to feel all nervous all over again and again.”
Schevchenko said she still approaches each fight with a fresh mindset, believing that this approach will ensure a long title reign.
“I think that if people already put a plan (or) limit to their career, they are down already because it’s kind of like they’re starting to count minutes, seconds toward their end.
I don’t want it to happen. I want to do everything as I can, the best way that I can, the most time as I can.
That’s why I don’t put nothing in front of me like, ‘Oh, this certain age, I’m done.’ I don’t want the beautiful time of my life that’s going to be ended soon. I just want to extend it as much as I can.”
At a time when many fan favorites are ageing out of competition, retiring, or on losing streaks, hearing a dominant champion like “Bullet” Valentina Schevchenko assert her aspirations to longevity is welcome. Fight fans will be looking forward to seeing the flyweight champ in action once more.
Do you think Lauren Murphy stands a chance against Valentina Schevchenko, or is this a foregone conclusion? Let us know in the comments.
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