Valentina Shevchenko has fired back at Khabib Nurmagomedov over his opinion of women’s MMA.
Nurmagomedov has long opposed women competing in MMA, expressing his belief that they should fulfill traditional roles. “The Eagle” also doesn’t like seeing women get hit in general, and would rather they focus on family life instead of prizefighting.
Shevchenko responded to Nurmagomedov’s comments in a series of lengthy posts on her X account.
“Women are weak?!” Shevchenko wrote. “Tell that to my sister—an airline captain. Or tell it to the ”Night Witches” the all-female bomber regiment of World War II, who dropped bombs under the cover of darkness with their engines off, then landed in pitch blackness without landing lights. For this, they earned a reputation for being elusive and deadly. Go ahead, tell them who is stronger.
“It all depends entirely on one’s upbringing. You can just as easily raise a man to be a helpless milksop who is incapable of doing anything. Martial arts represent a warrior tradition where there is no distinction between man and woman. There is only the art itself. That is precisely why people train: To become more graceful, stronger, and wiser—and to ensure that no one ever gets the chance to punch them in the face.”
For years, Dana White opposed the idea of holding female fights under the UFC banner. That changed when Ronda Rousey’s popularity soared. The first women’s UFC fight was held on Feb. 23, 2013.
Currently, there are three female UFC titles. There was a fourth with the UFC women’s featherweight division, but it has been defunct since 2023. Amanda Nunes was the last UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion, and she vacated the gold when she announced her initial retirement.
What do you make of Valentina Shevchenko’s response to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below.
