By the Numbers: Valentina Shevchenko

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UFC 228 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Valentina Shevchenko feels at home at 125. After a successful flyweight debut where she completely shut down previously undefeated Priscila Cachoeira, “The Bullet” booked a showdown with current titleholder, Nicco Montano.

As Shevchenko gears up for their UFC 228 clash at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, read about the numbers that have come to define the well-rounded No. 1 contender.

5: Years old when she first experienced combat sports in the form of taekwondo. When she turned 12, she tried muay Thai and progressed fast. Shevchenko joined her first tournament at the same age, and knocked out her 22-year-old opponent. Her speed earned her the nickname “Bullet,” which was given by her trainer.

3: Times she defeated future UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur (IFMA) World Championships and the IFMA Royal World Cup. In her many years of joining the said international tournaments, she earned eight gold medals.

56: Wins in kickboxing. Shevchenko lost only twice, and is widely regarded as one of the best muay Thai fighters in the world.

2: Victories without a loss as a professional boxer. She tried her hand at the sweet science, fighting in Peru in 2010 and 2011.

7: Wins to start her professional MMA career. She displayed her skills in different promotions in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and South Korea.

2: Rounds with Liz Carmouche in her first fight in the United States. Shevchenko lost via TKO at the three-minute mark.

4: Takedowns scored on Sarah Kaufman in her UFC debut, according to Fightmetric. This standup advantage was pivotal in her split decision win over Kaufman.

2: Losses to Amanda Nunes. Shevchenko’s third-round rally wasn’t enough to beat Nunes as the latter won by unanimous decision. Their rematch, which was for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship, was even closer. Shevchenko ended up losing a controversial split decision.

2: Performance of the Night bonuses. Both were submission wins, one against Julianna Pena in the main event of UFC on Fox 23 and the other against Priscila Cachoeira at UFC Fight Night 125.

2: UFC main events. Apart from the bout with Pena, she also headlined UFC on Fox 20 against Holly Hohm.

87: Significant strikes against Hohm’s 54, per Fightmetric. It was an impressive win against one of the greatest female boxers of all time.

95: Significant strikes against Priscila Cachoeira’s two. Shevchenko also scored two takedowns and had two submission attempts.

7: Submission finishes. The judo black belt tapped out Mi Choi Kim, Alla Iskarenova, Roza Kalieva, Kyung Aeh Kim, Yulia Nemtsova, Pena and Cachoeira.

7: Finishes in the first round. Her list of round 1 victims include Iskarenova, Kalieva, Nemtsova, Kim, Aeh Kim, Erkesh Kokoeva, and Priscila Orellana.

30: Years of age. She was born on March 7, 1988 in what is now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She now trains at Tiger Muay Thai and Gracie Barra Texas.

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