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Chael Sonnen believes that Valentina Shevchenko needs to change her personality if she wants to sell fights on her own and headline UFC pay-per-views. Inside the cage, 'Bullet' is one of the baddest women on the planet, but outside of it, she comes across as a soft-spoken and nice person.
According to 'The American Gangster', the women's flyweight champ needs to shed her positive image and develop a heel persona to garner more attention. Sonnen pointed out that one of the most recognized former pro-wrestlers in the world, Hulk Hogan also tapped into the dark side of his persona in the past.
Hogan was popular in the pro-wrestling world as a face but later turned heel when he formed the New World Order along with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in WCW back in 1996.
In a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen laid down what he believes needs to be done by Shevchenko to headline pay-per-views:
"She's been on the side of faith, trying to say nice things, trying to say sweet things never using profanity, throwing a little dance at the end [but] it didn't work. Now there's only one other option which is heel...Even the Hulkster, who sold more tickets with the red and the yellow eventually switches to the black and white just to see what would happen and then he switched back again. There would be no reason to not try it if you want to be in the business of selling tickets."
Watch the video below:
What's next for Valentina Shevchenko?
Valentina Shevchenko was put to the test in her latest title defense at the recently concluded UFC 275 pay-per-view event. The Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian fighter, known for her dominant performances, was made to look human over the course of five rounds by her Brazilian opponent Taila Santos on the night.
Despite being pushed to the limit, Shevchenko showed championship heart and performed impressively in the later rounds to edge Santos via split decision at the end.
Valentina Shevchenko has expressed a desire to take on veteran fighter Miesha Tate in her next fight. Tate is currently scheduled to take on Lauren Murphy at UFC 276 on July 2. If she manages to pick up a win, the 35-year-old is likely to challenge Shevchenko for the title next.
