Valentina Shevchenko is a professional mixed martial artist and current UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion.
The Kyrgyzstani fighter defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk in UFC 231 to win the championship.
Valentina Shevchenko (full name: Valentina Anatolievna Shevchenko is a professional MMA and former Muay Thai fighter. Valentina was born on March 7, 1988) in Frunze, Kirghizia, USSR.
The mixed martial artist made her professional MMA debut at the age of 15 only on April 21, 2003. In her debut, the fighter was victorious via TKO in the second round. The prolific fighter was so much leaned toward combat sports that she started Taekwondo at the age of 5.
Shevchenko has tried out and gained success in other combat sports like Muay Thai also. In her illustrious career, she has won more than 90 amateur and pro matches in K-1, Muay Thai, and kickboxing between 2003 and 2015.
Valentina has described herself as Russian and her native language is also Russian. However, her family has Soviet and later Kyrgyzstani citizenship.
Valentina Shevchenko Family
Valentina Shevchenko’s family comes from a sports background as both her father and mother have represented their nation in sports once.
Valentina is the daughter of Anatoly and Elena Shevchenko. Her father Anatoly has served in the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy during the Cold War for three years. Further, he has also played football for the Kyrgyz national team.
The mixed martial artist’s mother, Elena Shevchenko, is a former multiple-time Muay Thai Champion. Furthermore, she is also the president of Kyrgyzstan’s National Muay Thai association. The 57 years old former Muay Thai gold medalist is of Kyrgyzstani ethnicity as she was born in Kirghizia.
To add, Valentina’s elder sister, Antonia Shevchenko, has also pursued her career in combat sports. She has a total of 13 MMA bouts of which she has won 9. Antonia is also currently fighting in the UFC Flyweight Division.
The two sisters, Valentina and Antonia, made UFC history by both featuring on the same fight card at UFC 255. This was the first time in UFC history that two sisters were on the same fight card.
However, there is not much relevant information about her other family members.
Valentina Shevchenko Net Worth
Valentina Shevchenko net worth is 5 million dollars. The 32 years old fighter’s source of wealth is MMA and endorsements.
The former Muay Thai fighter has a salary of 280,000 dollars and the champion has collected around 2 million dollars from her fighting career only. The highest of her earnings was after winning Jessica Andrade at UFC 261. From the win, she collected a paycheck of whopping 302,000 dollars.
Besides, she also earns from brands like GuardLab, Dapper Scrappers, Lucho Shoes, and many other endorsements.
Valentina Shevchenko Ethnicity and Nationality
The ethnicity of Valentina Shevchenko is Kyrgyzstani. Actually, she is believed to be Peruvian-Kyrgyzstani. However, the fighter calls herself Russian and her native language is also Russian.
Valentina was born to a Ukrainian family during the USSR era. Both of her parents are Kyrgyzstani as they both have played for the nation. The family has had first Soviet citizenship and later Kyrgyzstani.