The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Daniel Cormier TV - Valentina Shevchenko FIRES BACK AT Alexa Grasso: The belt "BELONGS TO ME!"

Episode Date: September 14, 2024

Valentina Shevchenko is BACK on the latest edition of the DC Check-In ahead of a HISTORIC title fighter between her and Alexa Grasso on UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas! Shevchenko breaks down her first two fights with Alexa, and is CONVINCED she clearly own the second fight. Plus, Valentina tells Daniel Cormier why being in the best shape of her career will be a significant advantage in the third fight between the two superstars. And don't miss Shevchenko give her take on Chael Sonnen starting fake rumors, why she occasionally carries weapons, and what makes her more dangerous than ever for Grasso! #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG.org. slash MMA. Hey, you know what's kind of crazy, Valentina? I tell the story constantly. I say, uh, you guys, like, where did, where did you come from? You're like, uh, the girl from the Avengers. The, uh, what's her name? It's the guy with the arrows and the girl, uh, Black Widow, like Black Widow, like Black Widow.

Hagel. You and your scarlet, yeah, you and your sister, like what, Scarlet Johansson? You guys come out of nowhere. And you know how I proved my point? Because of that one time whenever we were going to that press conference and you had that knife. That was the craziest shit ever. Your abs, your abs, you like, fucking, the security guards looking at your abs. Because it's a knife. What are you doing? What were you doing with that knife? I always want to know, why did you have that knife? It's like a,

it's like a part of personality. You go outside, it's like you have to have like your gun with you, your knife with you. It's not about, I feel, it's not about only about the self-defense. Because, like, it's more about your personality. If you kind of like feel good with that attribute in your wardrobe, why not? Yeah, for sure. Well, I tell you, that hat, the monster hat. That's a great hat. That company makes great hats, and obviously we both love monsters.

You know, and it's like the first time that I did like a lot because it's kind of like half shape. Yeah, the shape like this. It doesn't just sit normal. Valentina, thank you for checking it with me. I appreciate your time champion. Thank you so much, Daniel. We're back here.

Third fight against Alexa Grasso. First female trilogy in UFC history. How does that feel? Feels good. Feels good. I'm ready for the fight. I'm like prepared to like never. And yeah, it's funny because we are now like and everyone speak about like why they

fight third time. And I said like the third time only because the second fight I won but they give me a draw. And only this reason why we speak about the start fight. Do you think that, why do you think that happened? If you feel like you won the fight, but they gave the draw, why do you think that that happened? It was on Mexican Independence Day in T-Mobile Arena. That was a very pro-Alexa Grasso crowd.

Do you think that played a part in that? I don't know. I really don't want to think about all these underwater stones, yeah, what it was there. And I don't want to dive deep into there. because my focus right now, it's like focusing on September 14. It's going to be completely different fights, 306. I feel great. And my focus, it's not on the past, it's on the future.

In order to move forward, right? So I fought in a trilogy with Steve Miochich. And in order to go forward, I had to go back to fight one. I had to go to fight two to get to fight three. How much time did you spend? Because clearly, you were better in fight two than you were in fight one. It came down to literally one mistake in fight one. And that's something we never saw from you.

We never saw you make mistakes. That's why you were so dominant. But is it that Alexa Grasso has a good style so that she's always going to be competitive? Because you two seem to be the perfect matchup. And you're a counterstrike in his next level. It's always been. But she doesn't take many chances.

What did you guys see in all those fights to help you build the plan for this weekend? Oh yeah, it's completely right what you're saying. It's like go back to the first fight, go back to the second fight, and like watching fight all over and over. And it's every time analyzing every time to see the holes, to see the like what you can do better, what you have to do like with your speed, with your endurance,

this is what we were working a lot on my training camp. And it's kind of like I feel myself in the point where I feel myself like just better than, I was even like a few years ago. Oh, really? I feel myself like in incredible shape right now. So the goal is just to save it for September 14. What did you do different?

I mean, you were so dominant before. How did you make jumps? What did you train some? What did you do different? It's like before the battle to say what like secrets you possess. Yeah. I cannot like right now to say everything because I feel. Different training camp or something?

No, it's not different training camp. It's some like details. Okay, details. And some approach to the training and your mindset. It's like it's small adjustment. It's kind of like all the same, but with the small adjustments, it's made completely different game. Valentina, when you're defending the belt for that long, right, it's easy to go, well, this fight looked like this. Right?

Jessica, I kicked her upside the head. Then I fought Jessica Andrage. And she was supposed to be this great wrestler. And I was able to outristen her. And you're just winning and winning and winning. Sometimes there's a complacency that sets in. Do you feel like when you fought Alexa the first time, this is a girl that was coming up in weight class.

Like maybe she wasn't as threatening as some of the others. Do you feel like maybe that was a little bit of what happened in fight one? What happened? It's like it's happened because it was MMA. It was in mixed martial arts. There is no, it doesn't. Makes sense. I mean, like, it's seconds can decide everything.

And definitely being, like, champion and every time, like, everyone saying, like, how unbeatable you are. It's, of course, it's kind of, like, a little bit affecting your brain. But I try every time to, like, stay away from that. But it's not that reason why it's happened. It's happened because it's happened. Yes. And it's kind of, like, everyone could, like, go through that things.

The most important is how you overcome, how you come back. And if you are thinking, oh, my God, it's happened because, like, everyone said you are unbeatable and someone beat you. And now you are like have so pity for yourself and like saying like, oh, I retired anymore. I won't do it. Like. So many fighters do that. I'm done. It's like how you can say is that you are true champion if you are not going through the difficulties and overcome like in the best, better position.

of yourself. For me, martial arts is my life. It's my lifestyle and I like to do that. I like this pressure. I like this everything but feeling during the fight week. And that's why I'm come back even stronger than I was in the second fight. My career in wrestling allowed me to deal with loss after. Because when you kickbox as long as you do, you deal with loss and you come back better. When you wrestle as long as I did, if I lost a match, I just was better than next time. And I think it kind of prepared me for that. But it feels like you. it can rejuvenate you, your mindset. Do you feel that you've grown through all of this? Definitely. Definitely. It's a little bit like changed in your mindset. It's every time improvement. It's every time readjustment. You are not in the comfortable position.

And I say every time like be the champion. And I mean like not only hold the belt, but internal feeling this that you are champion. It's like every time dealing with uncomfortable. Yes. Did you enjoy the ultimate fighter spending time with her like that? Because Stipe hated it with me because I talked to him the whole time I was chirping at him. He could not stand being in that same space with me. Did you enjoy the process? I really liked it, but it's hard process, especially when you are like two months, you have to work with the guys, you have to train, you have to. And I was training with the guys the same. So I not only was coaching them, but also training and do like all the filming stuff. and whatever but I'm very happy that my team Tim Bullitt was so same mindseted and it's kind of like we have the same love for martial arts and no matter how far we came

from like South Africa Russia with like so like Cyprus Lithuania US like from all around the world but we have the same passion for martial arts and I could feel it in in the guys and how they approach for the training. And I really hope that they will have another chance to prove themselves. For those who didn't have this chance, and for example, they lost, but why they lost? They lost because they wanted so much to show themselves.

They just like, vent there and MMA. It's just one mistake. And I really hope, because I saw in them so much talent, so much, like, they can do it. I know they can fight in UFC. And I really hope that UFC will give them another chance. Okay. So, Chale Sondon is my partner.

Chale Sondon talks a lot. And he came up with this thing that you didn't want to fight on Mexican Independence Day again. But then ultimately, you signed on to fight on Mexican Independence Day at the sphere. If that was the case, because again, everything Chale says, I think, with a grain of salt, because I don't know if he tells the truth, he makes things up. He makes things up because like I and I kind of like aware that because he said I'm a spy. Yes, he did. He told me that too.

He goes, she's a spy. You know that. I was like a real spy child. He's like, yes. But he convinces himself that it's real. And now all the world commits himself. And it starts it with him. It starts with him.

He does it to me constantly. And by association, I'm guilty because I'm sitting there next with him. And we're talking about stuff. But he said you didn't want to do it. And now we're here and you're doing it. Was that a real thing that you didn't want to fight on this day? And now that you're doing it, what made that decision come to pass? Because I don't care who fight when and where.

And for me, martial arts is what is the most important. And it's like especially I feel that, yes, it's a lot of like thematic of Mexican Independence Day, but it's not the same case that it was last year. It's UC306 number one. It's riot season. It's the first event. It's like the main event shown in Mali and Mirab. So it's like USA against Georgia.

So it's kind of like same, same but different. And also I don't think it's going to be as pro crowd in there because I think the sphere. Because Canelo is fighting, right? Conno is fighting. So I just think, I just know that. I think that the crowd will be much more diverse inside the sphere. So if that was a concern, I think this one. I think this would have been the right car to fight on.

To Alexa Grasso, how do you get it done this weekend? Like, what do you see and her that makes her special? I don't know. It's just like sometimes you don't seem like in someone too much special, but it's turned out that we have like the third fight, right? And I respect Alexa. I, like during our tough show, we had like so much time to speak. and we kind of like share a little bit of our like because I'm not the person who's going to like fight to get your opponent.

Did you not like, have you ever had an opponent where you just did not like him and every time you came together with them, be like, I can't stay. There was one. Which one tell you? It's supposed to be the first women's trilogy. Amanda. Oh yeah, yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah, you and Amanda didn't get along great. I think it would be like crazy like to be around us.

like for the, but with Alexa is different because, and I just respect all my opponents. It's like I know what does it mean to go inside of the octagon. Every day to show up on the training, what does it mean like for like girl go and train, sweat and like do the same thing what the guys do? And it's already respectable. And for them like to go inside of the octagon and the fight,

it's already respectable. That's why it's kind of like when we are up out of the fight, I'm fine. I'm like, I'm normal person. But in the fight, it's like, it's a different business. The thing that stands out is her boxing, obviously. Has there been anything you've had to do completely different in the approach?

Are you gonna just be Valentina Shevchenko? Because it's worked so many times. Number one, be Valentina Shevchenko, be the bullet. It's, I think it's the main key for success. And use all the knowledge, what I have, all the speed, what I have, And I heard she throws some comments about my tactic, but before now it works so good.

It's so fine. You know, when you win, last one for me, you've defended the belt so many times, seeing you holding that championship becomes normal. Are you ready to get back to normal this weekend by beating her and becoming champion again? I'm so ready for it. I'm so really ready for it. And it's kind of like the things that when you know what you have to do. And I really know what it's like no step for back.

It's just forward to my goal, to take what it's belong to me. And yeah, because I know many people that say it's like it's not the belt. It's like a pass what you are doing. But remember when young fighters join UFC for the first. first time what the goal was. Yeah, but come champ. Of course. Once you get that belt the first time, it's like, how do you recreate that? Boy, when you get that belt the first time, it's the best.

There's nothing like it the first time. This is it. So, like, let's speak truth. The belt, it always was the goal. Yeah. And this is like... I hate when people say that. It's not about the belt.

Of course it is. It's always been about the belt. From the very start of this shit. Guys, Valentin and Jeffchenko fights against Lex Grosso this weekend at UFC 306. It's Riyadh season, and Valentina's trying to make it normal season by becoming a champion again. Thank you for checking it with me, Valentina. Guys, check into everything she's doing, world traveler. She trains as hard as anyone.

She really is the real-life black woman. Hey, she doesn't leave without her knife or a gun. I know people that love that. Guys, until next time, like, subscribe, hit the buy button and watch her try to become champ again. Until next time, peace. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guide, not quite on human. me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraging. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard weight with your favorite therapy. and host care games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations

that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. On the Look Back at it podcast. 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

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