Chael Sonnen wants Valentina Shevchenko to lean into "heel" character after UFC 315 win: "She's not in the nice girl business"

Chael Sonnen recently expressed his frustration regarding Valentina Shevchenko's role in the UFC. The former fighter claims he wants to see the champion lean into the "heel" character after her recent victory.

This past weekend, 'The Bullet' successfully managed to retain her flyweight championship belt after beating top contender Manon Fiorot via unanimous decision at UFC 315. Although the native of Kyrgyzstan is at the apex of her career, Sonnen had his grievances.

On his YouTube channel, the fighter-turned-analyst had this to say:

"I believe [Valentina Shevchenko] is a heel. I don't believe Valentina is a nice girl. I've heard a number of things that Valentina has said, and they're not things that a nice girl says. I just don't know that somebody that can kill you with their hands or with a nine millimetre someone that speaks seven different languages, somebody that's an unarmed combat champion of the world, that was a kickboxing star and a generational athlete from mother to sister."

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He continued:

"I don't believe somebody like that has to come out and pretend to be nice. She's not in the nice girl business. If you can make money being nice, go ahead and do it, I'll stay out of your way. But when you have a genuine feel, there's nothing in business that draws more than a cool heel. You don't get them very often."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (7:40):

Zhang Weili calls out Valentina Shevchenko after UFC 315 victory

Two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili is widely regarded as one of the greats in the sport. After her victory over Tatiana Suarez in February, she discussed the possibilities of potentially moving up to flyweight in pursuit of double-championship status.

With Valentina Shevchenko's recent victory over Manon Fiorot, Weili called her out on Instagram, stating:

"Congratulations to the champion. Everything has lined up perfectly, it‘s destiny."

Check out Zhang Weili's comments below:

About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan