Shevchenko: Weili Zhang became UFC champion ‘because of lucky circumstances’

[Juchi]

I guess real deal is relative, she is obviously worthy of competing in the division. That (for me at least) hasn't been a question for a long time.
What I meant by real deal is whether or not she can have a reign of dominance like GSP, Andy, Jones, Joanna Contender, etc.

Edit: My reading comprehension blows. I do indeed believe a fighter should have several defense before angling for a super fight. So I guess in that sense I disagree with you. Shes not deserving of a title shot at FLW.

Depends. If Jessica wins, I'm sure she'd like a rematch w/ Weili asap. If Rose wins, she likes to take her time. 2 fights in the past 2 years. If Weili beats JJ, a former FW title contender, decisively and the winner of Rose/Jessica is not ready to fight in a timely manner and Tatiana is still out injured, I'm all for a Weili/Valentina fight. It strikes me as the most exciting fight that can be made at either 115 or 125 unless Amanda drops down to 125 to claim a third belt like she threatened to do, but which I think is BS.

 

[Fess]

She did not say that Weili is bad or something, she is saying that she did not prove herself in the UFC, and she is right.
Getting a title shot after 3 UFC fights where 2 (at least) of her opponents out of top 10 - I would call it lucky circumstances as well.
While people comparing Valentina getting a title shot on her 2nd fight at 125, I totally disagree.
Valentina have proved herself in 135 division especially 2 close loses to the woman who beats everybody in convincing fashion, when I definitely would give her a win in her 2nd fight, and thus she well deserved a title shot in the new division where there was no one deserving more.
And she said her opinion because Weili called her out (after 4 fights in UFC). I think it's outrages to make a super fight between her and a fighter with 4 fight's in the UFC with 0 defenses in her own division.
After all that being said - Valentina by UD.

 

[Juchi]

Schevchenko will get flamed for this because Weili is sherdogs current WMMA darling, but in a way shes right.

Zhang has had 1 title fight, and it was about a minute long. Hard to say whether she's the real deal or not yet.

Dont agree with getting there via luck though. Andrade is a tough fight and Zhang earned that belt. Let's see if she can keep it.

If she beats JJ, she's beaten a former 125 title contender. If neither Tatiana nor the Rose/Jessica winner are ready to fight as soon as she'd like to fight, I say go get 'em girl.

 

[Juchi]

Shevchenko is just jealous of Zhang quick rise to glory and fame.

Val should be more empathetic. She had a heck of a time getting anyone to fight her when she was trying to challenge for the title just like Weili did. Weili is super lucky that the champ agreed to fight her, but other than that, she's earned everything else.

 

[Juchi]

She wasn't "talking shit about anyone's brand new title reign". An interviewer asked her about a "superfight" with her, and she gave her opinion, which is hard to argue with. She said Zheng has an entire top 10 of her own division she hasn't fought, so there's no reason to think about her moving up for a "superfight".

What's odd is that what she said is what every weili zhang fan would have said if Valentina had said yes and called her out.

Even though Weili is the champ, very few of the top contenders are making any noise about wanting to take her on. I doubt you'd hear many Weili fans complaining about Valentina calling out Weili. Most Weili fans probably think this is the most appealing fight in WMMA. I know this fan does.

 

[Juchi]

THIS!

Doubt it.

 

[HHJ]

Andrade's only asset is power. If she didn't have it, then she wouldn't be in the top 10. Zhang, who has both great technique and power, was a nightmare match-up for her.

Power,hyper aggressiveness and cardio.
Unnatural to the point of hmmm I'm not gonna say it!

 

[Juchi]

Valentina worked for her title shots in BW. She was always a smaller fighter fighting larger women. She dropped that last decision that she arguably won. She wasn't going to get another rematch with Nunes so she might as well drop a weight class.
Zhang on the other hand beat a gate keeper for the title shot. The stars lined up; people were also injured and China card needed a star so she got the shot.

She got the title shot because the UFC wanted her to fight in China and amazingly, the champ was the only fighter that was willing to take her on.

 

[Juchi]

I don't find luck in Zhang KTFO a girl who's known for going forward with her chin up, hands down, absorbing everything to get a TD.

Yet no one else at SW was able to finish her despite her technique, or lack thereof.

 

[Askafan]

Isn't the Zhang love all a bit premature?

Her pre UFC record was impressive and her opponents were at least known, if not that good. In the UFC she beat Taylor 29-28 - since cut; had an impressive win against the owner of the juice bar at Coconut Creek - since cut; and a points win over Tecia Torres - currently on a four fight slide. She then stopped Andrade in 42 seconds and at the top level a flash ko like that tells us far less about a fighter than an actual fight.

Despite what her fans think Weili hasn't beaten Joanna or Rose or Suarez or even Gadelha, Esparza or Rodriguez. When she's ticked off a few of those names maybe she can move up and take on whoever might be the 125 champ at the time.

 

[winkydinks]

At least she didn’t have to switch weight classes to a division of nobodies to become champ...

because she was a natural BW to

Power,hyper aggressiveness and cardio.
Unnatural to the point of hmmm I'm not gonna say it!

Natural female jaw line as well

 

[Heelhook71]

N

Andrade's only asset is power. If she didn't have it, then she wouldn't be in the top 10. Zhang, who has both great technique and power, was a nightmare match-up for her.

Valentina has gone toe to toe with the best wmma fighter of all time. She easily beats any woman in the UFC not named Amanda Nunes, who she still has the potential to beat in a trilogy fight. Her belt is not the result of luck.

Nobody (even at 135 )has ever done what Zhang did to Andrade. That was a very impressive win and nothing to do with luck.

I do agree that Zhang needs to defend her title few times though.

 

[Strijfy]

The harder you work , the luckier you get

 

[SpiderCrawl]

because she was a natural BW to

Natural female jaw line as well

to what? She’s the champ in a division of nobodies. Being 115 champ means a lot more than 125.

 

[BangBang]

Love Schevchenko, but please she should stop talking out of her ass re: Zhang.

 

[winkydinks]

to what? She’s the champ in a division of nobodies. Being 115 champ means a lot more than 125.

Flyweight could be stacked and Valentina would still be champ. She could go up to BW and beat everyone easily except Nunes and possibly GDR. I don't know what you're saying, nor understand your point. Valentina's not a SW, and is big for FW to begin with. Not her fault that her division's full of cans, and that doesn't mean she isn't the second best female fighter in the UFC.

Valentina beats who's there. Zhang got expedited to a title shot with only one fight against a ranked opponent prior. So in essence, she was the right fighter at the right time, as she was there to help expand the Chinese market when Dana wanted. Ideally, I would've made her go through Suarez to get there. So, it's not exactly like she's taken the division by storm, and I'm not comparing her to Valentina until she defends the title a couple times. Am I more impressed by Shev's domination at fw and success at BW, or wins Zhang's wins over Torres and Andrade? Fuck no to the latter. Her belt's one of the hollowest in the UFC rn.

 

[FloydMayweatherMMA]

At least Zhang didn't have to wait until a weight class was created for her to be champ.

 

[winkydinks]

As much as I like Valentina she needs to STFU about becoming champ by "lucky circumstances", this is the same girl that failed to become champ in the division she was fighting in and had to move down to a totally new division while beating mediocre competition in boring fashion to capture a belt.

Zhang have beaten everybody in front her in dominant and EXCITING fashion, how many people have destroyed a bulldozer like Andrade in 1 or 2 mins? I will wait.....

She got expedited to a championship fight against an overrated opponent who won the belt on a fluke slam ko, despite the fact that she only had one fight against a ranked opponent, Torres, who's a can herself. Why did she get expedited? Rose was having her annual existential crisis and didn't want to fight, Tatiana got hurt in her fight against Ansaroff and couldn't go, and Joanna needed another win as she was coming off a loss. This combined with the fact that Dana has been aggressively trying to break into the Chinese market made Zhang an ideal candidate.

Maybe luck's the wrong word, but by chance, she was in the perfect place at the perfect time.

I can see why Shev feels disrespected. The bitch has one big win in the UFC and is murmuring about going up to fight the queen.

 

[Fess]

At least Zhang didn't have to wait until a weight class was created for her to be champ.

1. She did not wait. She was very active and very competitive (and I think she should have won the title at 135).
2. Valentina was small to 135, and when opportunity knocked with new division (that actually fits her) - she took it .
3. Weili is a big 115, and could fit very well in 125 (they have 1 inch difference and Weili bulkier than Shevchecko), so basically Weili fighting small women when she can fight her own size.

I don't get the hatred Shevchenko gets in this forum. An active champion and a very good and technical fighter which the only fighter that gave Amanda Nunes all she could handle as since the loss to Zingano is as dominant as can be.

 

[FloydMayweatherMMA]

1. She did not wait. She was very active and very competitive (and I think she should have won the title at 135).
2. Valentina was small to 135, and when opportunity knocked with new division (that actually fits her) - she took it .
3. Weili is a big 115, and could fit very well in 125 (they have 1 inch difference and Weili bulkier than Shevchecko), so basically Weili fighting small women when she can fight her own size.

I don't get the hatred Shevchenko gets in this forum. An active champion and a very good and technical fighter which the only fighter that gave Amanda Nunes all she could handle as since the loss to Zingano is as dominant as can be.

I like Shevchenko dude, imo she's probably the second best active female fighter. I'm just saying, she still had to cut to 135 and wasn't champ material.