While attempting to reclaim the Women’s UFC flyweight title from Alexa Grasso (17-3) earlier this month at Noche UFC, a bout which ended in a split draw, Velntina Shevchenko (23-5) suffered a fracture to her right hand.
In addition to the injury clearly affecting her performance from the first round on, Shevchenko will also need to undergo surgery to correct the trauma this week, but she does not have any intention of being sidelined for too long.
“My understanding is like two or six weeks, something like that, in a cast, but I still can do exercise and maintain my shape just no hand,” Shevchenko said. “After that, it’s going to be recovery and as I’m told, three or four months in full action, so it doesn’t sound that scary.”
Shevchenko via MiddleEasy.
Back in March, in the co-main event at UFC 285, Shevchenko found her self constricted by a rear naked choke from Grasso in the fourth round of their contest. She was forced to tap, and experienced her first loss since way back in 2017 when she fell short versus Amanda Nunes (23-5).
ALEXA GRASSO HAS SUBMITTED VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO!!
WE HAVE A NEW FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION 👑🇲🇽 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/t4HMH5vXnw
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
With the way the rematch ended, a split draw that created controversy as one of the judges scored the final round 10-8 for Grasso, Dana White feels that a trilogy bout for the pair is in order.
Shevchenko believes that she will only need to spend a maximum of 6-weeks in a cast following her surgery, then she will be back in the gym, preparing and planning for the next chapter with Grasso in early 2024.
Dana White says Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 will be next pic.twitter.com/IXmj7ETMKr
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) September 20, 2023
“My understanding that no matter what happens, my next fight is going to be for the title, definitely,” Shevchenko said. “It’s what it has to be and what it should be. But if something happens and (my recovery) is longer, I don’t want to hold the division.
“I don’t want to say, ‘No, you have to wait for me.’ If I were in that position, it would be backwards. I wouldn’t want to feel that. I wouldn’t want to stay and sit when I could fight, and I could use my time as a fighter. We as fighters could have a long time or a short time in fighting life. Me being on the other side, I wouldn’t want to be in that situation. That’s why I don’t want her to feel in the position that she can move, but she has to stay and sit and do nothing. Let’s hope I heal up very quickly, and we do the trilogy fight next.”