The Joe Rogan Experience - JRE MMA Show #115 with Valentina Schevchenko

Episode Date: October 22, 2021

Joe is joined by Valentina Shevchenko, the current UFC Women's Flyweight Champion.

The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night, all day. Okay, here we go. Valentina, pleasure to have you in here. Very excited. Finally, I'm here, right? Finally, yeah. I mean, we've been talking about it for a while, and I've been a fan of yours for quite a long time. You're a very unusual person, very unusual. I mean, it's unusual to be a martial arts champion, but you're an unusual martial arts champion. I mean, you're very diverse.

You have so many skills and talents. It's very strange. How does one—first of all, how many languages do you speak? Three what I speak, and I'm learning four. I'm learning Thai now. You're learning Thai because you were speaking Thai after one of your fights. The last one, yeah. Yeah.

So it sounds like you know it. Like you say you're learning it, but you had a lot to say. Yeah. It's kind of like I can say a lot, but I mean I'm learning I want to so once I will speak it like fluently and I will understand like native people so good then I consider it yes I speak language before that it's kind of still learning and I think I started to learn in like a couple years ago but I think it's very important to have practice with native people go to Thailand and like forget about speaking English just speak Thai and this is how like you just adopt

everything so this is what I want to put this language, Thai language, on the next level. Then I will say, okay, four, now four. So, like, you immerse yourself. Maybe, yeah, kind of. Because for me, I try to do everything, like, the best way I can. Not the perfection way, right? But the best way I can. Now, your first language is Russian? Yes. And when did you start learning other languages um so English it was I started to learn it in the

school just some basics because it's like a school program we learn alphabets, some just very easy words and nothing enough for like speaking level but when I started to compete and go and travel for the competition that was like my push for bringing my like language level to the next level and when we moved to South America then I started to learn Spanish. But learning Spanish, it was kind of like the hard way. I came there with no one word in Spanish, no one word. And it's straight like to there. If you want to learn Spanish, you have to speak Spanish right now.

And I say from the moment what I started to speak to the moment when I was kind of like given my first interview. It was four months. After four months, I was given my first interview in Spanish. It was not the perfect Spanish, but I still could communicate. So talk us through this journey. So why did you go to South America? I was born in Kyrgyzstan. My sister, she's a martial artist.

I was starting my training when I was very young age, five years old. And definitely, like, through all the years that I practiced in martial arts, I competed a lot. Every competition, a lot of martial arts and so I Started to compete in Kyrgyzstan Then there was not any competition like any Opponents and it was like hard to compete already Then we start to travel my coach Pavel is who I trained like since the beginning

He decided like to okay okay let's explore something new we moved to russia for a couple years and then it was like also no opponents to fight with and we decided to move next and to see how to like explore indefinitely i think for martial arts for mma for like anything and South America. It's a good place to and mostly it's Interesting to explore interesting culture from Russia Kyrgyzstan is very far it's kind of like totally different culture and we decide to explore over there become to South America and People there just wanted to learn a lot more Thai. We come to South America and people there just wanted to learn a lot more Thai. We started to train, give like classes and they was asking for the seminars and we stay a little bit more,

a little bit more. And then we decided, okay, why we not stay here and live here? And we stay there and lived for eight years. So you initially went there just to find people to compete with? No, initially it was, it's very hard to say in one word what it was initially, because I'm not traveling for looking for a gym. I'm not traveling looking for something like one. I'm traveling to explore new places, to explore new culture, to have different adventures, I can say. And this is what's the initial reason for traveling, to see what is there. And once you are there, you're kind of like, okay, South America, it's very interesting continent. It's like, it's not just one country like Peru, where we both live in. It's Argentina,

it's Brazil, it's Colombia, it's Ecuador, Chile, it's so many different countries. And you want to be there, you want to explore what is there, You want to see how people live, what they think and what they believe. And it's kind of like it's pulling you into it. It's very hard to say, okay, now it's time to go back. Because every time when I'm traveling, I want to explore more. I want to see deeper. For me, it's not enough to see with the tourist eyes. Okay, I take picture here, there. I've been there, mark. No, it's not enough to see with the tourist eyes. Okay, I take picture here,

there. I've been there, Mark. No, it's not enough for me. I want to understand what actually people, how they live. Is this always been something that's fascinating to you? Like what draws you to want to know so much about these different cultures? Yes, I remember it was since the beginning. I just like, it was, it is a huge part of my life. It's everything about me. And I think it's kind of like the best school, the best education what one can get. Because definitely when you're in school, you can learn something. But this is like a real school. And the travel, it puts you in different life situation.

And you have to know how to react. You have to learn how to communicate with other people. Because, for example, I can say, in your city, in your street, in your country, you can be the superstar. You travel somewhere else. In your country, you can be the superstar. You travel somewhere else and, like, for example, if you are a local star and you go to the other country and kind of like they are, okay, that's okay, but what? And you have to know how to deal, how to communicate with other people. And it puts you on the ground every time. And it's kind of like good, especially for the fighters.

every time and it's kind of like good even for the especially for the fighters so if you talk me through the progression of your career when you move to Peru first that's where you moved were you already a world Muay Thai champion oh yes it was five or seven five or seven Muay Thai world champions and did you worry that you wouldn't get good training partners there or they wouldn't be at the same elite level that you're at? That part, first, I'm never worried about to find the right training partner because I know this is the world. It's like so many good training partners, so many different people, so many like you can find anyone.

No matter like if it's like a small place, big place, you can find a good level for your trainings. The most important, it's I think one of the most important ones is to have the right coach. of the most important ones is to have the right coach. Because no matter how good a fighter can be, if it's going to be not the right approach, if it's going to be the right approach, he can rise or she can rise. If it's going to be super much talent but not the right approach, he will fall. And this a like the the worst things i i think what happened that's why the most important what i was worried about to have right coach with me that's why i'm travel everywhere where pavel goes so pavel has been with you from the very beginning yes yes from the very beginning that's a huge advantage he is my coach from the first um day in his gym oh wow from the like i started five

years old when i had five years wow so you've been with him since you were five years old yes i am fighting and training 28 years wow yeah and since there it who like sharing the um um like so much things in common we love the same things i traveling exploring um like uh see different people and uh yeah it's not just a sport it's like a family well it's very fortunate that he was willing to travel with you if he didn't want to move to South America would you have stayed in in Russia it's you know it's it's hard to tell it's not hard to tell because I think at a certain point when everything comes in one complete, it's not a question if they don't want, if something happened differently. Because everything happens as it has to happen.

And you never think what it would be if it would be a different way. It just happens how it happens. And I know that this passion for travel it's not just my passion um pavel shares the same passion for travel my sister shares the same that's why we are like a good and strong team yeah it's a perfect combination so when you moved to peru you had no problem finding world-class strikers to train with and people to work out with you know it's kind of like when we moved there firstly we started to train and to teach Muay Thai and give different seminars because before it was mostly kickboxing so

Muay Thai it's more deeper martial arts it's more complete martial arts because kickboxing and just hands and kicks Muay Thai it's everything it's elbow knee and clean chin so you can wrestle till the ground so it's kind of like more complete and it has different fight character rather than kickboxing. And this is what we're starting to do. But every time we were traveling, even we were like living in Peru, we spent it for three, four months in Thailand every time. So yes.

And this is amazing because for example example we travel for the world championships there and we just stay there for another like two three months and this is the best part so um where were you training out of in thailand were you at tiger muay thai um last six seven years it's tiger muay thai it's gym I represent, what I fight for. Before, it was Kosa Mui, WMC, Lamai Gym. So for me, it's every time I was like, if it's Thailand, it's islands. And what is the benefit of training in Thailand

as opposed to training other places? I would say the spirit. um what is muay thai it's thailand it's spirit of thailand and definitely to train in thailand you have enjoy everything but i'm not um fanatic of like people who just come in there and training like three session a day and they don't explore Thailand what is that they explore the culture explore the food explore what's around they just spend like all their time in the gym without see what's happening outside. To understand the full picture, you have experience everything. That's why I say every time, if you want to put yourself on the next level,

you have to train but also speak with the people and see what's happening around. So it's kind of like open your eyes more widely. And you think that actually improves your skill set? It just improves your perspective, which improves your skill set? I think everything tied to each other. So there is no, for example,

I would put this example. I started to learn, so I speak English, I speak Spanish, right? And when I speak, when I started to learn new language, it was helping me to improve my first language. So it's kind of like, yes, it's totally different language, but it's helping me to put on the better level something what I have already. That's why it's very hard to say if you do something, it doesn't help to put on the next level what already you have.

So it's interchange. It's something that influence on each other. That's why for me it's every time. Influent on each other. That's why for me it's every time. Yes, to have better skills in sport, no matter what sport, mixed martial arts, just martial arts or like whatever. Definitely you have to spend enough time on your technique. You have to spend enough time on your skills. But sometimes it's just not enough. Sometimes you have to go and see something else I mean like the character of the fight of different

fighter to get this experience to try it on yourself not only just like okay this is my technique and I will perform it is the best way is that I can yes but sometimes you have to add yourself, your spirit in this technique to modify it, especially how it will work for you. And this is only way how you know this technique will work. If you are just like doing it because someone told you that is right, it's one thing. But when you started to actually feel the technique, then it became your, like, so natural thing that it's kind of, like, dangerous for everyone. Is this something that you learned, too,

that things all help other things? Like, whatever you do, the more you experience, the broader your understanding of things, the better it helps all the things you do or is it something you were taught it's combination it's combination what I what my mother was told me what my coach what Pavel told me and definitely my own experience because I see it works first I hear from them it works it's one thing but when actually I see it works first I hear from them it works it's one thing but I when actually I see it works it's kind of like put stronger impact on you yeah and definitely for

the experience what I have through the like all years what I practice in martial arts. I see this is the only one, like, way how put your level on, your game on the next level. And now it's just intuitive? Now this is just how you approach things naturally? Yes and no. It's combination. Sometimes you have to break something. Like, for example, you're trying to learn something new and you go for it and you go for it and you try it's like and you have like barrier you cannot like break this barrier

and you try and you try and you try sometimes you have to put there a little bit more pressure to break the barrier and it doesn doesn't consist with anything like feeling or something like intuition or something like that. But once you break it, then it's like different level. And then when you have to start to learn how to feel it from inside to perform it a better way. So what was your initial martial art you started with when you were five years old? I started with Taekwondo, Taekwondo ITF.

Yeah, this was my first sport. And then how did you branch out from there? Like what were the years? When did you start training in different arts? in different arts? So it's every time. What was idea of Pavel? Pavel every time was thinking about universal fighter,

about like fighter who doesn't have any like problem. For example, if you are speaking about striker, striker every time would feel something weird and like uncomfortable when someone other start to wrestle him right and wrestler definitely he will feel not the best

strange when he is fighting so the idea every time was to be like universal to create from his students universal fighters. That's why he put us in different competitions. As Kyrgyzstan, it's a little country, and there is federation of karate, of different styles, Taekwondo, Wushu, Sanda. So different competitions we would have. And we competed in different ones.

In my childhood, it was like a thousand different competitions. And this is what helped me to feel the different style of fighting, different technique. And I never had, like, problem to fight in different style. It was problem, it was kind of like how good you can transform yourself, for the, like, switch the chip for the different martial artists. That's why I cannot say there was like, okay, this day I switch stand up for the crowd,

or like I start to train like Muay Thai since this day, because it's just never happened. It was everything, like everything, like so naturally development, like going from one style to another style. And more, if we're speaking about Taekwondo, there is like Taekwondo professional style, pro Taekwondo. It's the same like fighting, similar to Muay Thai, but they wrestle with more like throws I mean like like

judo throws or freestyle wrestling throws so it's more like wide variety of throws so it's kind of like also help for my competition in Muay Thai, but when I started to compete more frequently in Muay Thai, it's, I would say, since 2003. And then you became just much more Muay Thai focused? Much more. It started about 2005, 2006. much more it started about 2005-6 because before it was like we already started to fight Muay Thai MMA and on that time it was less competition for female fighters in mixed martial arts it was very hard to find like frequent fights if you want to keep like busy and fight every time,

you would fight like more like in stand-up because there is more opportunities for you. And this is what it's, how it started that I start to focus more in Muay Thai because it was more opportunities in Muay Thai. But in 2010, when female MMA started to just like, boom, explode, yeah, we definitely was thinking to come back, do the same. And we started to compete in Muay Thai and MMA. So it's interesting that the beginning of your journey in martial arts coincides with

the beginning of the UFC. So if we go back 28 years, we're talking about like 1993, right? Like that is the beginning of the UFC. Oh my God. It's a good example, no? Yeah, it's a perfect example, right? Because one of the things that we've always said, as this sport has grown, is that it's really interesting to watch these young kids growing up with martial arts, with mixed martial arts, as opposed to, you know, they would be 30 years old with a lifetime of wrestling and then learn how to strike and then enter the UFC. We're seeing people like yourself that when you started your martial arts journey was

the beginning of the UFC, which is pretty crazy. It is, and I think it's... And now you're a UFC champion. I know. It's crazy. It's something that means so much for me now, yeah. Yeah. Well, you're not just a UFC champion.

You're one of the best champions. It's very unique to watch you fight because you're one of those people like Anderson Silva in his prime where you've kind of cleaned out your division. And there's no disrespect to your opponents, but some of your opponents, when I'm watching you fight them, I'm not thinking, are they going to beat you? I'm thinking, what are you going to do to them? I'm thinking, what are you going to do to them? It's a strange position to be in where you're almost like competing. You're competing against these women, but your level is so much higher than everyone else in this 125-pound division that there's just not much there for you in terms of like Valentina has to fight this woman there's no fight like that for you I think that um definitely this is one of my goals in my performance in my training and um

definitely is this is like what I um the idea of my fight style to be able to win the fight made the fight very beautiful from the technical side very intensive very like just high-level martial arts but in the same time without do it like dirty fight like street fight just like different level when you can finish your opponent without uh them touch you so this is kind of like like ideally ideal ideal well you can see how you sometimes impose the opponent's style on them it's almost like you're challenging yourself like the jessica and raj fight. Like coming into that fight, most people thought the only way

she would have any sort of advantage at all would possibly be grappling. And so what did you do? You out grappled her. Like, did you do that on purpose? No, no, no. I don't know. This is what I think it's no.

Because maybe people just like was speaking about that so much so frequently before the fight maybe it's just in my like mind and was there but you know I never felt that this is a position dangerous for me since the beginning since they're like I I know exactly uh what is my strength I know exactly what is my power um that's why it's never was a doubt would I be good there no I know what I can I know exactly uh what I have to be worried about what I have to worry about um in the fight i had i know that i have to be careful like to see everything because it's mma everything can happen you cannot just go there and say okay i'm a champion everyone has to fall down no you cannot you can't you have to um be wild you have to be like a wild animal ready for anything and But in the same time, you cannot overestimate your opponent.

Because if you overestimate them, it's going to be like not interesting fight. You're going to be just afraid of throwing anything. And that's why you have to find the balance. And the balance is everything where you are um like you can do whatever without any fear but in the same time very careful and um i i never before the fight put some like challenges uh for me would i be good there would i be good like what I do like for my next fight I train myself for the different situation and this is what we are working like and it's not just my work it's like teamwork Pavel Antonina we all watching our opponents and we share what we think about then what we have to

be worried what we have to work on and And through our training camps, through trainings, we just work on every possible situation. And even, for example, I saw some situation in the fight was happening like not with my opponent or like different, completely different fight. And we try this situation. We try what I will do, how I would escape, or how I will finish from this situation.

So we're just getting ready for anything. And this is what I think helped me to take the right decision during the fight. Because I don't have time to think about what I will do next, what my technique will be next. In the fights, everything happens like instantly. And I have to be sure that my brain and my body are ready to act. Well, it's very clear that you have a very well-rounded skill set, but it's also clear

that when you're faced with particular challenges, your preparation for those particular challenges almost puts you in a situation where you want to try, like the Juliana Peña fight is a good example of that, right? Like you shocked the world when you armbarred her because everybody felt like if she had a chance to beat you, it would be grappling. And you as a Muay Thai champion, if you had a chance to beat her, it would be your striking. But then when you submitted her, was like holy shit like that was a wake-up call for a lot of people that you're not just well-rounded but you are capable of finishing everywhere that you're lethal everywhere yeah this is what uh

every time was in my training my goals for the competition uh not just go there and compete, but go there and win. Doesn't matter what I have to do to win the fight. I have to find the solution. I have to find the way to win the fight. And every time it was like my mindset. I don't like this idea just go and have fun in the fight. I don't like idea just be there and like just to experience the feeling. I think for someone it's good, but if you have like higher goals for yourself, you have to put higher goals, like higher like things what you're thinking for.

This is in my head. This is what I had since the beginning that no more no matter what happening I have to find solution to turn the fight to my side and win the fight and definitely I was like I understood fighting in mixed martial arts I have to have more arms I have to have more advantages like if we are comparing with other fighter, because more advantage you have, it's kind of like in the war, right? You have a handgun, you have like certain like percentage to win. You have like more like arms in your like position, you have more percentages. so i want to have like 100 percent percentage to win the fight that's why i was training like everything and um like training

not just pretend to do technique but know how to make people tap after this technique yeah so when you say more arms, you mean more weapons, right? Exactly. Yeah. Now, is this something that was just inside of you when you first started doing martial arts? When did you realize that you had this competitive spirit that would lead you to become a champion? Was this something that you knew from the beginning or was it something that you developed along the way? Like, did you always know that you wanted to be a martial arts champion? I started, as I say, five years old.

And as a, like, regular child, normal child, like, I doubt that anyone at this age would clearly know what they want, what they want to do in the future. For the children, it's like, what they want to do? Just have fun, play, play around with the same children around. And I was no exception, so it was the same. I just wanted, I don't know, just to be a child. But my mom, she put myself and my sister Antonina to the gym of Pavel, and we started to train there.

So she had vision for us that her children, her daughters, have to do martial arts because she is martial artist. And she knew exactly this is something that she want for us to be strong, to be confident, to be like just fearless of anything because martial arts give that all. And definitely at first, it was not anything deep. I mean, like knowing that one day I will be the champion or something like that. No, it was just playing, doing some techniques in form of play and just exercise. I start to grew up and I started to understand actually what I doing like and what I want to be in the future it was I'm saying about like age 12 13 14

this is a perfect age for the children for the child to understand and analyze what they're doing in the life, what they're looking for, what is their expectation from the life. And this is the age when I actually started to train with a lot of sense, with a lot of like I understood that this is my life. This is martial arts, what I want to be, like I want to do forever. Like this is what I wanted to be like I want to do forever like this this is what I wanted to do and I didn't know where it's gonna lead me I didn't know it's just like you start one thing you never know where it's gonna lead you can expect something but you don't know how it's gonna end and for me

it was just like to have this experience to have this way in martial arts just to enjoy the process and this is how it's everything started but um i would say once i start to understand that this is my life martial arts then i put my heart to all like trainings and like I wanted to be better and better and there it was I discovered my like talent what I can do what is my good side and I discovered that I can understand technique way faster than other people like children the same age and I can perform it like a little bit better and so this is I start to just to feel it inside me so your mother was a martial artist as well she is martial artist she is not just was yeah what style did she start with I she's president of Kyrgyzstan Muay Thai Federation actually yes she has her Yes, she has her students,

she has her team, what she's trained, and she traveled to world championships. But yes, and she started when she was young, and it was her passion for her life. And I'm so happy that she decides that this is what we will do because it's kind of like, yes, because of her, I am where I am right now. So your mother started with Muay Thai?

Or did she have a bunch of different martial arts as well? She started in the time when it was like karate, but it was like Soviet Union karate, underground karate, because, you know, in Soviet Union it was prohibited to do karate. Karate was prohibited? Yes. Really? Yes.

Interesting. Until when? Until the Soviet Union collapsed. Why was karate prohibited? Because the philosophy of karate, it was against the philosophy what Soviet Union had. Because karate, it's more like different philosophy. It's like oriental philosophy. In Soviet Union, it was everything strict.

Interesting. So what martial arts were legal in Soviet Union, it was everything strict. Interesting. So what martial arts were legal in Soviet Union? What sport? The sport, it was boxing, judo. Boxing. It was sambo. Sambo. Because it's like it's sambo.

It was combination of judo and what they created in Russia. And this sports like gymnastics, like atlases, running, right? Like summer Olympic games, we can say. So, yeah, but the cult of sport was very strong. When did combat Sambo start to make its emergence? Because combat Sambo took essentially a lot of the techniques of mixed martial arts, but wore the gi top. Like, when did that start? You know, I cannot tell exactly, but, you know, that sport, sport sambo and combat sambo, it's definitely more every time more

it was about the sport samba. It's just a wrestle. Yeah, it's every time it was like more assumptions that more children would do and more like influence. But with I would say when it's all martial arts, like Taekwondo, Karate, it was like, it started to be more popular. Then definitely it was more time for the fighting styles, for the martial arts, like combat sports. It was just insane. It just was everywhere.

So it wasn't until the collapse of the Soviet Union that things like karate and Taekwondo and all these other martial arts became popular yes and free and free and then they started integrating that with combat Sambo and and becoming mixed martial arts you know I would say that combat combat somebody was even since the beginning because it's part like if I'm not mistaken it was kind of like what's military was training so yeah but if you're speaking about like competition about what people competing right now yeah it's different so you start out with taekwondo and then you make your way to Muay Thai and when you are a teenager you start deciding that this is going to be your life did you have any other dreams or interests or hobbies or passions or was it just martial arts you know my life it was so

much different things to do and I mean just to learn different things that I that's that's why I never had this like, oh, I want to do that, that. And I never had this like, I have to choose one. I have to choose or I am martial artist or I'm like, I don't know, something else. I didn't have, and I'm lucky that I didn't have this, I asked that I have to choose because for example in my opinion a person can be complete in everything it doesn't matter like he can be martial artist but the same way good artists like paint or like play some instrument musical instrument or singer or good shooter or some different profession because if we're thinking about for example

we have life right and to become a professional in something, we are studying. For example, it takes five years to be a professional in certain things, right? If you're speaking about university or something like that. So why we don't spend another two, three years to learn something else, another year to learn more?

And it's going to fulfill you as a person to add more knowledge into you that's why for me it's never was like okay you're just martial artist my mom she um when i started to do martial arts she said like okay are you also gonna do dance so it was like same things that i did since childhood i was dancing and doing martial artists because it's kind of like balancing each other it's like it's not you're not going to one side too much and other sides you're going to be in between keeps the perfect balance and for example then um when I discovered the shooting competition, it was another thing that I wanted to learn more,

to be better every day, to just do what I like. And same with the languages. I never end. I don't want to stop to learn. I want to learn every day something new. It's interesting that that concept of balance was written about in the 1400s by Miyamoto Musashi. When he talked about being a great swordsman, he talked about balance, that you had to learn poetry and you had to learn calligraphy and art. learn poetry and you had to learn calligraphy and art and he was he was a big believer that you didn't just concentrate on sword fighting you concentrated on all these things and that they

work synergistically they work together and it this is true because um um you're a good martial artist yes but you want to get be a good person as well right and more uh you know it's uh it's just you are like a better person and i think it's very important uh your education it means a lot and you have to put um all money in your education. And not only just like do whatever you like. What, for example, when you were growing up, for example, anyone had some dreams or some things that was like huge inspiration for them. And then for them, like time pass and you're thinking, okay, now it's too late to start to learn something and it's kind of like you're just wasting time but actually it's never late it's never late to learn something you were you were like wanted to do all your life it just you just have to start to make your first step

and this is the hardest i think the first step but once you do it and when you understand that this is the how it should works how it should be everything gonna be like fine and you're gonna just love it and just continue to learn continue to grow continue to make yourself a better person yeah it's so smart that your mother enrolled you also in dance and got you to learn dance as well as martial arts because the two, the skill sets are so interchangeable. Like you see it like Vasily Lomachenko, perfect example. He learned dance for years and he has this incredible footwork

that you see has given him a huge advantage in boxing. And with you, when you fight, one thing that I've always noticed is you never are flat-footed. You're always moving. You're never a stationary target. You never get lazy. Your back heel is always off the ground. And that is not the case with everyone. The people that don't have

like the kind of leg dexterity that you have, or the kind of ability to move your footwork, they maybe that's a big advantage, I think. Agree and not agree. It's like, yes and no. because if you want to be good one at something you have to work you have to spend more time to work on this thing on that thing definitely

dancers they're gonna help probably with your balance they're gonna help with something but it's not something that would help you to win the fight definitely no do you think it helps footwork though um i would say it helped is more like if you're speaking a balance because in dancing we have a lot of spins right and um yeah different dance have different level like different movements but I'm speaking about like folk dance what I was doing like folk dance Russian dance it's kind of like a part of ballet

part of like traditional like traditional dance of different countries and a lot of spins. And definitely it's kind of like help you to do like round kicks or something like that. But I would say if the lead man, your coach, have very right of approach of how to teach the students, it's not necessary to do dancing. He can just, or she can just teach their students on how to do the footwork, what is a better way to move or something like that. The other thing, not every coach naturally like teacher

because it also take a lot of knowledge. Coach has to have this like vision of technique and not only vision of how to teach exactly this technique for every student no also it's like he has for example five different students five different like biometrics fight style like different type of muscles different just different and he has one technique one two like two straight like two hooks whatever but everyone would hit it differently and if the coach see and combine specific of each fighter with their like right angle how to turn the fist or something like that and can see this detail and say okay this is your thing do it right there this is will work for you maybe it's not the classical one maybe it's not the right what everyone thinks

like this is the right way for this punch. Maybe it's like just a little bit angle, just something like that. But it's work for the student and the student is winning with this technique. So this is what coach has to have, this type of the vision. But what I see, many coaches, they know their technique and they don't see the specification of each fighter, the like biotype of the fighter. And they try to just break the nature gift what the fighter have and put this technique just like what they are thinking is going to be right.

And this is what I want to say is this is wrong because it's kind of like it's not helping fighter to win and to get the right technique for themselves, what it will work for them. It's just like what coach, like just he's not naturally teacher. This is what I mean the most important. It's not about dance. it's not about dance it's not about fighting it's about right coach what you have so it's about recognizing that each person is different and not trying to impose one style on all the fighters exactly exactly because even one style can be different.

It's the same, but a little bit different. Just small details. And coach has to see it. He has to understand. And that's really where the art in martial arts comes from, right? It's this expression of the individual that comes out while competing and while training. Exactly. Yes, I totally agree.

And it is an art. And to us, like to people who practice martial arts, like when I watch you fight, it's beautiful. It is an art. You know, even the most brutal parts of it, like when you knocked out Jessica Ai, like it's beautiful. Like the way you set up the kick to the body and then switched up to the head. That's for someone who appreciates what that is, like how you did that. It's beautiful. Like the way you set up the kick to the body and then switched up to the head. That's for someone who appreciates what that is, like how you did that. It's beautiful. This is like, I think that's why it's called martial arts.

But for people, it's interesting because people that don't practice martial arts, they don't like that term. I've heard that described. I've heard people talk disparagingly about martial arts saying that is not art it's just brutality it's just violence and although brutality and violence is a part of the art it is art because it's fighting art definitely you cannot just go there and say like to your opponent your opponent, okay, let's agree, I do this technique and you will do that technique, and then I win. So you cannot just, it's all about the fight. Yeah.

It's about expressing yourself while the other person is trying to express themselves, and you both have similar-sized bodies, at least they weigh the same, and you're trying to figure out how to impose your skill set and your training and your technique and your mind. Exactly. And that I think is one of the more interesting things about you is this approach that you've taken to life to educate yourself, to immerse yourself in different cultures and to achieve balance.

Clearly that is having some sort of effect for you as a champion. Like you're a different kind of person because of all these experiences. And I think that speaks volumes on who you are as a champion. I think it's one of the reasons why you're such an interesting person to watch fight. Thank you. um thank you i think yes it's kind of like experience what i have through the years what i practice in martial arts it's um teach see for example many um young people they are uh for example having some success and they are starting to believe in themselves too much no belief it's a wrong word it's like thinking about themselves too much. And thinking about themselves, they are like untouchable.

Ego. Yes. And it definitely will affect their trainings. But what I learned through the years in the training, you have to be the most simple person as you can be. Because it's a fight. It's a real fight. It's not a fight and saying what you can like do beautifully and repeat or something like that. It's real exactly. And if you have the wrong approach to what you have to represent in the fight, you never will be the winner.

And definitely it's experience what I got. through the years, it just showed me that while I'm fighting, I don't have time to think about myself too much, like, or like that. You cannot. You just cannot, because it's going to last before your fight. And in the fight,

you're going to see, no, it's not working. You have to come back. So clearly you have confidence, but you also think that it's important to have humility definitely and important to understand you have to do everything to win the fight because if you have you start to have like uh to have mercy on something like that in the fight it doesn't work or you winner or you're gonna be loser so decide who you wanna be a loser. So decide who you want to be. Winner or loser? Yeah, just decide. It's easy.

Simple. It's simple. If it was only that simple. I know. Do you have an idea of when you're going to stop competing? No, no. I don't have any idea because I like the lifestyle what I have right now. I feel myself so strong, so healthy, so good.

That's why I want to experience that feeling as long as I can. I want to see what my body is capable of. I want to see my limits. I want to see where I can go. Because if you're like putting this certain day, certain year, till what time you're going to compete, it's kind of like my opinion. It's not good because you're starting to go to your end slowly but surely. Yeah. It messes with your head. You think about it.

I think so and if you are just um enjoy the time what you are um and just experience and want to uh just do the best things what you can without like okay this is my limit and you just do it the best way you can and this is the only way to explore what you're capable of so right now you're 33 yes and And this is the only way to explore what you're capable of. So right now you're 33? Yes. And so this is the prime of your athletic life. I hope it still comes.

It's still coming. But I'm sure there's years to go, but this is like athletically. They say early 30s for a fighter is their prime because that's when their mind catches up with their body like i would add a little bit more about the um we don't know because uh if if compare like what it was um five ten years ago what uh how people were like at age 30 years old. For example, 10 years ago, they would feel themselves as like, okay, it's a lot. They are already like family persons and they are like not thinking about competing or do something like this. Now we have a different scale.

Now people like at age 30, they feel younger than it was before. That's why I don't know how like if we can say this is a prime maybe not maybe prime it's now 40 years old who knows well i think it's you love competition so much you want to drag it out you want to stretch it out probably i love it a lot but it's so hard it's so hard to have training camp and it's uh it's more than just physically it's mentally and combination when it's physically and mentally this is what is really hard because i um notice that um mentally what what i mean uh like mentally not just your preparation but uh when you have to every day train with your training partner or different training partners, and you know it's going to be like mini battle.

And you know that you have to push yourself to the, like doing better thing. It's not just like just running or just any physical exercises to do without too much mental like things to push. So it's easier. But in mixed martial arts, in martial arts, it's combination physically and mentally what it's making that hard. That's why it's kind of like so hard during the training camp. But it's worse. It's worse when you feel your hands raise up and like everything good. Even if something happens, sometimes it's something that's not the way you

want. Even that one, it gives you so much energy to continue. That's why, in my opinion, martial arts is the best thing that anyone can have have so meaning when things don't go your way then it gives you motivation to train harder and get better motivation and also like the energy of the event of the fight or for example um it puts your uh level of martial art on the next level. It teaches you. Sometimes you teach one technique for years, and sometimes you just have to fight in the real fight, and you will understand the technique so fast. Yeah.

When you're talking about your body and your mind and the difficulty, you're now training at the UFC Performance Institute, which is an amazing facility in Las Vegas, which for sure helps the body, right? Oh, definitely. Because you have access to state-of-the-art equipment, state-of-the-art coaches and nutritionists, and it's an amazing place. Do you work on your mind in the sense of do you study psychology? Do you meditate? Nothing. No, no.

I have very different, very unusual approach for my trainings. For example, physically, I don't like to train with weights. I don't like to train with some very popular equipment, what's like modern fighters working. I prefer to focus myself on the training in the gym. For the mental, I work on my mental game during the training as well. For example, I give this example. My coach, he's set in time, Pavel, he's set in time how many minutes one round is going to be, how long the training is going to be. So coming into the gym, we don't have like from 10 to 11, this is our training. From 10 to 12, this is a limit for our training no we have like three four hours the window and it's decision of pavel when's the training gonna stop so it can go all three hours

sometimes all four hours it's all up to him and this is like uh for example this is the mental preparation the mental game that uh you are dying in the training physically but your mind is saying continue your coach is saying continue and you are pushing yourself to continue this is the best mental preparation what you have you can have for the fight when your body already says i cannot but your mind says yes you can it's kind of like opening the second respiration second respiration yeah something like that so through this difficult training and forcing yourself to stay focused in the gym that's where your mental training comes from yes because um as i said earlier, to be the best version of yourself in anything, in something, in martial arts, for example, you have to do as a person who doesn't know what is that fighter psychology or never was in the fight it doesn't know how it feels in the fight they will give your own uh advices they will teach your own things no so it's it's completely you don't want to happen it's something that um gonna

mess they're gonna like choke to each other strike each other and be so completely like incompatible exactly so this is you never want to happen did you get advice from other fighters did you did you like train with other champions and get advice from them at all? I trained with other champions, but I don't need advices. The only person who I take advices, this is my coach, my sister, and my mom. Only three person what I consider that they have rights to give me advices. Well, obviously it's working. This is the most important.

Yeah, the most important things that it's working. But it doesn't matter I won't listen to something like what people have rights, saying right or something like exactly that I consider would work for me. It doesn't mean that I will close the eyes and I won't listen to you. No, I won't do that, definitely. I will take it. But I mean to go to someone and like, okay, share your experience,

share your like, no, no, it's not. Even like you will listen for a thousand times, if you are not experienced that, you never will feel it. It never will work for you. So backwards, when I feel a person trying to give too much advice, when no one asks them to give that advice, I feel like, okay, maybe I have to get away from that person. Yes. Yeah, that's a weird one, right?

When someone is, it's usually someone who's not that good. Oh, no, they can be good. Yeah? They can be good, like, physically, like, technically, but they may be not that good with their mind. Yeah, maybe, right? Maybe they're trying to convince themselves by talking to you and giving you advice. It's interesting you say you don't like to use modern training equipment. Do you mean like weightlifting, like cardio machines? Like,

what do you mean? Exactly. Weightlifting, cardio machines, I don't like them. You don't like them? No? No, no. But you look like you do. It's interesting. Like you look very fit and strong and someone would assume if they saw you and you're fighting, oh, she must do a lot of strength and conditioning work. No, I don't. No. I don't like to run.

I hate to run. And I don't like to hit pads also. You don't hit pads? I hit pads, but I don't like to hit pads also you don't hit pads i hit pads but i don't like do that really i know some people it's like favorite thing because they don't have to fight or something like that like this have this mental pressure but i rather do uh five rounds of fight like um sparrings then do like five rounds on pads no I just don't like it what about working with power with techniques do you like to hit the bag oh yes yes I do everything bags pads but I just don't like it you don't like it do you like any more than the other do you like bag more than pads for back it can be sometimes a little bit more lazy you can relax you can explode you can like do like manage your time in person pads especially when Pavel hold pads it's

just intensive all five rounds not stop and it like, this is what I, for in the fight, I can, like in the sparring, I can find time in when I rest, when I explode, yeah? In, when I hit in pads and Pavel holding pads, there is no time for it. Just go, go, go.

You can't control it. But definitely what I'm working on, it's like a lot of work with partner. When you wrestle, it's your weightlifting. It's the same, but with someone who moves. Right. Someone who responds. Someone who make your, like, do your protection.

So for me, this is my training style, what I do day by day. And this is where I get my strength, where I get my power, and my speed. How many times a day do you train? One time a day now, yes. That's unusual, right, for professional fighters? For me, no. For Nafia. fighters for me no I would say if a person still learning and still like like many things to work on they have or teenagers or like children's they have to work like twice a day or like some three

times too much no twice a day that fine. Or they have to work more. I was working more, so I was training more when I was like early ages. Now it's enough one time a day. It's more than enough. And, you know, people sometimes do, for example, one hour in the morning, then sparrings in afternoon. And it's kind of like they're tired here, they're tired there. And they cannot do one hard session and show everything put in the sparrings

and have this full energy. They just do it. It's not here, it's not there. It's something in between. And you don't know, do I have to do that or that? And sometimes you just feel so tired when the time is fight and you are like on the in your changing room in the fighting room before your fight you're thinking oh i wish it's gonna finish soon because i'm so tired this is i don't want to

happen i want to feel so much energy for my fight because it's good if you are training good but the most important part to win the fight right yeah it's some some people they confuse these things that they have to train like like so hard and like to prove something like that but for the time in the fight they don't have energy they like a balloon right Right. They go down. And so this is a very thin line where you have to know what is good for your body and where you have to know how to manage your training system. And is this something that you've just figured out about yourself over the years?

I think this is what my team is training right now, how we prepare for the fight. Yes, it works for me. It works for me because we do very hard session. This one, but very hard one. Just one. But that is unusual. If you pay attention to other MMA fighters, they usually break it up to two things a day. Usually they're doing a strength and conditioning workout or maybe they're doing pads in the morning. And then they're doing some sort of sparring, maybe wrestling and jujitsu in the afternoon. And then maybe they'll do MMA sparring in the evening. So sometimes you have these three sessions.

But you prepare differently. Yes. You have these three sessions, but you prepare differently. Yes, and I don't like to do separate. For example, now it's Muay Thai time. Now it's wrestling time. Now it's grappling time. I don't like it because we are fighting mixed martial arts. It has to be everything in one.

That's why in my training we do everything at once. So you never just do only jujitsu uh if you're speaking about training camp no if you're speaking about like um after the fight in between definitely i don't want to spar every day so like right now right now you just beat lauren murphy you're you're off for a while for a while. Do you have an idea of when you'll be competing again? I don't have it yet. I didn't ask UFC yet about my next fight. And, yeah, I just take my time.

Yeah. So right now, you maybe would do a jiu-jitsu class or train something differently just to try it out. Yeah. I could. I train every day not every day now i train like um one day one rest one day one rest but just to maintain maintain physical uh and maintain mood the most important mood so you need some training just to stay calm. To stay happy. Happy, yes.

Not calm, happy. Right. Because I feel that I don't know how people feel with no trainings. Like they just don't train. They just don't sweat. And it feels so weird for me. I feel that the sweat, it's like, it's favorite phrase of my sister's, like, when you take shower, like you feel clean, right? But when you sweat in the training,

you feel clean from inside. So this is for me is that I have to do constantly. And I just feel if I'm not training, my mood is like starting to be crazy. And it's like you never know what to expect. Now she's laughing. That's why she's angry. Like, no, I have to train. That's the case with everybody, I think. I really do. I just think most people just choose to live this way where they don't have a real good grasp on their body and a good control over it because of exercise.

Yes, yes. I think so. It's definitely, even training martial arts, you don't have to fight. You don't have to be a professional fighter. Just do it for yourself, and, like, everyone would feel the difference. So you're going to be happier people. So when you structure your training camp does pavel structure at all like say if you have a fight and it gets scheduled you have uh 12 weeks or whatever you use for preparation who does pavel schedule everything he schedules everything so you just show up put in your time

and that's it uh yes and no we are participating in everything like so it's not something that um i like to know everything i like like this is i like to understand how everything works and i'm not only speaking about training in the training camp i'm speaking about everything doesn't matter what we do i want to understand what we're gonna do what is like think we will work so it's kind of like work uh teamwork and definitely we are uh speaking about what to expect from the training camp uh where we gonna have training camp because it doesn't mean uh we are training uh like at the same location all the time we love to travel to have training camps in different gyms in different states in different countries So we plan it in advance we thinking about like considering for example my fight gonna be in

This type of the climate so where it's gonna be better to train and we just plan it in Like all together. This is I think the best when everyone knowing what's happening. And you've moved around in this country as well, right? You've trained, you trained in Denver for a bit? For the fight with Juliana Pena, yes. So is that when you started training with Rose? Because you and Rose have done, Rose Namayunas, have done some training together training together too. Was that beneficial for you? I think it's beneficial for everyone. For example, when high-level athletes train each other, it's kind of like good for both. Everyone can take something for themselves.

And it's something that's a good experience. And we build our good relationship, friend relationships. And it's amazing to have friends who are doing like the same thing what you are doing and sharing the same ideas what you are having. For this training camp, for example, in my training camp was Brandon Marina. And it's like he's an amazing guy, very strong guy, very like strong technique. And it was amazing to train with him as well. So I think it's like every time, no matter who I train with, I learn something new from them. No matter what levels they are, I able to learn something from them.

matter what levels they are, I'm able to learn something from them. Do you take trips specifically, like say if you're going to face someone who's a great judo expert, do you train specifically, like would you go to a place and train with like a Kayla Harrison or something like that, or someone who was specifically a judo stylist? First of all, we're considering to have a similar weight class. This is the number one rule. Because, for example, if someone is, I'm not just speaking about Kayla right now. I'm speaking like a general. I know. I'm speaking about general. Sometimes it's like, it's not beneficial. Even the like, person, they are like skillful, super controlled and do like so good their things. It's they just don't do it in their heart full power because they are just bigger and they just stronger. just stronger, it's not good for you because you have to feel this moment when you're kind of breaking them or they kind of have this thing when they are in their technique. You have to

feel the moment. You have to be able to go hard. Exactly. And this is the number one rule. So I like to train and I'm trained with the training partners similar to my weight class. When you have competed at 135 pounds, was that an issue? Like when you went up to 135, well, your first fights in the UFC, there was no 125 pound division. So like when you fought Holly Holm, when you fought Amanda Nunes, these fights are all at 135 pounds. Did you feel when you were in that division that you were just a little undersized? Oh, yes, definitely. I was a smaller one.

Yeah. And for 135, I never was worried about cutting weight. What did you weigh at when you weighed 135? Did you walk around at 135? Walk around. This is my walk weight right now, like 135. This is how I walk. And if I stop to train for like one week and eat every day,

138 might be maximum. But with training, it's like 135, 136. And definitely, I didn't experience any problem fighting 135, but definitely I would have to think more about strategy for the fight. Being smaller, you have to think about different tactics, how to approach to different fighters, because sometimes you will have enough power to break them, sometimes no.

So it's kind of like yes or no, maybe. And you have to have your backup plan and you have to have your body ready for different game plan. That's why I didn't have problem to fight in 135, but every time was to think about something extra things. Do you foresee a possibility of you competing at 135 pounds again? Because Amanda Nunes is kind of running out of opposition and you're kind of running out of opposition. And you both had epic fights against each other.

Do you think that that's possible? There is only one possibility why I move up to 135. You both had epic fights against each other. Do you think that that's possible? There is only one possibility, why I move up to 135, and this is it. Yeah. Do you think that could be the case someday? I think so. Why not? If everything's going to continue like that way, it's just going to be inevitable. Is there anyone in your division right now, in 125, where you look at them and you say, I want to fight her?

It's just not my style. You just wait to... Okay. It's not my style, I would say, to pick opponent for you. Because all the time when I was fighting Muay Thai, MMA, I was like, Valentina, would you fight her? Yes. Valentina, would you fight her? Yes. Her? Yes. So it was like the way I am. It is the way I am. I'm not choosing my opponents. I'm not looking for some easy fights. I want to fight with the best ones. That why I just not picking one I just wait when you see kind of like okay this is your opponent well it's it is an unusual situation though like I said you are in this position that's very similar to like many of the great fighters that are

dominant champions where you don't have one person who stands out I think that there is a lot of girls. Like in 125, it's the most comfortable weight class for females. Like 125, it's not too big, not too small. And a lot of girls, they are like in this weight class. And like from the straw weight, they're going going up from the bantam weight they going down so it's just like Very strong girls over there. But as I said

Like it's wrong to compare Like when they fight me and you have to watch them fighting like to see their levels Because my goal is to fight differently it's like i say when you can finish them but they cannot touch you so it's every time was the same muay thai was the same you for example i was watching them fight to each other before i fight them and it was like like wow yeah but then it's completely different so it's kind of like and 125 I think there is like whole rosters they are very good they are very strong and you could see the last for like the last event when it was all bonuses for the female fighters yeah no there's obviously some great great

talent in the female division of the UFC. Was Amanda Nunes your most difficult fight? I never was considered, like, difficulty of the fight only for the fight, for this fight, for unsolved lies. For me, difficulty of the fight fight is the combination of training camp, your approach to the fight, Fight Week, and the fight itself. So I still cannot answer this question. I think it's the hardest question. And every time people ask me, like, what is your hardest fight, hardest opponent? And I just cannot answer because it's so different.

Each fight, it's a different approach, different training camp. Everyone is difficult. Difficult with their own style, something like that. That's why it's hard to say. What is difficult about Amandaanda style your sizes size it's not her style it's not her style it's just she's big and heavy yeah and power uh everyone has power everyone has power one if you're speaking about 135 weight class, everyone has a lot of power.

But Amanda, I think she's just bigger than anyone. You think she's bigger than the rest of the division? What is her walking weight? 160, 170? I don't know. Is it really that big? I don't know. Well, she does fight at 145, and she looks the same at 145 as she does at 135. And obviously at 145, she's able to knock out Cyborg. Yeah, yeah.

It's kind of like, you know, what about the knockouts? Everyone has like chances to knock out each other. So it's just like it's 50-50. It's the situation. It's 50-50. It's the situation. If, for example, you have interchange, the chances are more for each one, right? But you have to fight very smart.

You know that small gloves, it's like more possibility to be knocked out or you make the knockout. So if it's kind of like, or you, or you're going to hit, or they're going to hit you. So it's kind of like, this is what I saw in their fights. So it was interchange, and this interchange, who's on that moment were more lucky. If you had a long time out, like if the UFC said, here are it's where we are in October if they said Valentina August next year we would like you to fight Amanda Nunes that's gonna be this big super fight would you try to gain weight would you lift weights would you do anything differently or would you just concentrate on technique and strategy and maintain the same weight you're at now?

We are October and August. Do you know anything? They're going to approach me with this? I'm going to try. I think when I look at the two of you, it's the most compelling fight in the UFC and in women's MMA. I believe that's the most compelling fight because you're both at the top of your game and there's an argument for both of you to be the greatest of all time. I'm not going to do anything special

to lift up my weight. You wouldn't start working out and lift weights? No, no, no, no. Because I don't believe it's going to help. I believe it's going to be worse for the fighter because if in your whole life you was like certain body type you know how to carry like certain muscles amount of muscles and then suddenly for last two three months you start to carry way more so what's gonna happen you're

gonna be slower you're not gonna have same uh resistance for the whole fight because you have to carry more weight on top of you so i will do the same i just want to do the last like last day weight cut for what i do for 125 i'm gonna lose I'm not going to lose this six pound, what I do. That's what you do for 125. And I just will eat normally as I do and train the same ways as I do. It's interesting to see different people's approaches, right? Like when Israel Adesanya went up to challenge Jan Bohovic for the 205-pound title. He did the same thing that you're saying. He didn't gain any weight.

He just concentrated on his technique and training. But there was moments in that fight where the size of Jan Bohovic was evident in the grappling exchanges when he was able to control him on the ground. Do you think that there's any benefit? I mean, this is why I'm saying if you have a long time, I'm not saying if you just have a normal eight week camp, I'm saying if they give you eight months, nine months, and they let you know in advance, you still don't think you'd ever try to gain any weight? I don't think it's still gonna help

because someone naturally bigger, every time they have this advantage, being bigger. No matter how more weight you're going to put on top, you are still the same, just with the extra weight on you. Well, that's why I'm interested in John Jones. And John Jones, when he's trying to move up to the heavyweight division, he's gained a lot of weight. And he wants to be over the 265- pound limit and then cut back down to 265. So I believe he's walking around somewhere in the 260s now. I think we will know the answer only when he will fight in this weight class. And we will know exactly how it's going to affect him. Will it be good for him or bad for him? So we don't know. As I say, every person is different.

And I know how my body works. I know what is good for me, what is bad for me. Israel, he knows exactly the same about his body type. John Jones, he knows exactly about himself. So this is everyone's approach. And I think everyone should do what they think is going to help them to win. So for you, from going down from 135 to 125 was the right move. You felt like much better at 125. It's my natural weight loss. It's like, it's like what I was competing all the time. Have you ever thought of going lower? 115. Yeah. And die from the hunger.

But there are some girls who fight at 115 that look, in between fights, very similar to you. Physically. I know. I know. And I really don't know how they do that. Like Joanna. Like Joanna is, you and Joanna fought in Muay Thai. Yes. And then, what weight was that at?

57 kilos is 125. Yeah. And so then, which is your natural weight. And then Joanna has had notorious struggles to get down to 115. Yes. I know. Yes. And she's like like, that's why I so I have so much respect for her. What like what she is doing is amazing. And like when she is like fighting 115 after all this weight cut and showing all technique what she is showing, it looks so impressive. And it's like very hard to do that. And I know it's very hard. But, you know, I feel good 125. I don't see a reason why I have to move down to 115. I don't want to try. I don't want to because now it's

my best shape. If I will try to lose my weight, it has to be a huge reason why I do that. Because we have to consider what's going to be after. I will lose all that, but it's going to affect my performing in 125 as well because everything has sequences, right? Yes. And that's why you better think twice before you take decision. But no. Yeah, I wouldn't think that was a good idea.

That was just curious. I think that there is a real issue with fighters that lose a lot of weight. And I think the long-term consequences are probably ultimately not worth it. No, exactly. Exactly. It's kind of like the same, the opposite way. For example, they going down too much. Exactly, exactly. It's kind of like the same, the opposite way, for example. They going down too much.

They are like having this extreme cutting weight. But them all weight, it has like tendency come back like double, triple with the friends. Right. And then it's make harder to go back and cut the weight again. So it's kind of like it's going that way once, working once, but then you have to do it harder and harder before you decide that it's not a smart thing to do. Yeah, your body starts to think that it's experiencing famine. And also it's like it's fine, it's okay when you have 20, 25 years.

But if you are thinking about long-term fighting, you have to think about your health as well. Do you think there's enough weight classes in the UFC? Would you like to see more weight classes? For say female fighters? Yes. Like 145, 105, something like that, or something in between. Yeah, like the way they do it with boxing. You know how boxing has so many champions, and they have so many different weight classes.

You know, like boxing, they have, you know, oftentimes, like, every four or five pounds will be a new weight class. I think, like, to do that much, I don't feel it's going to worth it. I don't feel that it's something that UFC has to do. Because UFC has so unique type and it's like, it's uncomparable to anything. In my opinion, it's even bigger than olympics it's uh way bigger than olympics that's why um yeah maybe 105 for a smaller goal on 145 we have 145 so but not in between i don't think so yeah it's um there's a much more limited talent pool as well, right? It's just not so many mixed martial arts fighters like this. Because what is UFC?

You see it's rosters. It's the best ones. Yes. The best ones in the world. It's not just a small league where you have different levels of competitors. It's like you can see the roster. It's like low level. here's the high level.

No, here it's like since the beginning to the end, super high level of everyone. This is what is making it so unique, so special. Well, it's really interesting because that level has increased dramatically over the last decade and a half. When we first saw Ronda Rousey competing in the UFC, some of the earliest female fights in the UFC, the competition that she was facing was just not at the same level as the male competition.

But now, when you see Rose Namajunas versus Zhang Weili, that is a very, very high-level fight. And it's very exciting because they're both world champion elite martial artists. So when they fight, you're seeing two of the best of the best, period, in the sport. It is. And this is saying about how fast

and how far mixed martial art developed. And even if we are comparing UFC fighters 15, 20 years ago, it's going to be different. Now it's like mixed martial arts, it's complete fight style. It's not a fight between stand-up fighter, boxer, or wrestler. It's two high-level MMA fighters who are like know how to dominate like exactly so good in boxing so good kicking like take one though so good wrestlers and like grapplers so it's speaking about the how uh MMA develops through

the years and it's amazing because now we can see, uh, there is no difference. Female fighter, male fighter. They are just like performing the best way. And it's amazing. Watch them,

how they compete. It really is amazing. When you think back from when you first started training martial arts as a five-year-old girl in 1993 to today, the UFC is almost unrecognizable. If you go back and watch any other sport from 1993, say like football or basketball, it looks similar. They mean you might have better athletes today

and better training today, but it looks pretty similar. Today, martial arts has expanded so far above and beyond what it was at in those days. Yes, and this is like a dream for a mixed martial artist. Every time it was like a dream of mine, and it was like to be comfortable in everything, know how to fight in every single like situation don't have any uh like um fear that okay if someone will throw me down what should i do no i don't know this is amazing thing of being mixed martial artist that you are so complete that you kind of like, you don't have a fear. You just like know how to do in any situation.

Do you remember the first high level female mixed martial arts fight you watched? Do you remember who it was? Oh. Was it Gina Carano? Was it like Elite XC? Was it Strikeforce? What was it that you saw? Was it like Elite XC? Was it Strikeforce?

What was it that you saw? You know, like back then, people just like more like young generation. They don't understand, like they don't have any idea how it was back then. To watch some fights, you have to have this vhs cassette you have to have not only this like tape but also the whole equipment to watch that and it's only like special people would have it and being here like in america in united states it's different than being there it's everything way harder over there it's uh so much technology here and not yet over there. So it's kind of like it was very hard to watch fights.

It's only like special people would have this VHS tape. So it's kind of like I would say first like fights, female fights for me, if you're speaking about youth, definitely when I was competing Muay Thai and MMA, I was watching like different fighters from like their countries and like definitely like high level from their countries. And it was my first championship but I won world champion in mixed martial arts it was South Korea in 2003 it was my first MMA that was your first time I may fight title what I won it was a world championships in South Korea in Seoul against Korean fighters, the best in their response. So, yeah, but I would say since MMA started, like, to, female MMA started to develop, like, through the world, like, a lot,

it was probably Gina Carano and Chris Cyberg. Yeah, that was a big one. This is when it started, and it was like big push. But definitely with Ronda, it was kind of like the second wave, much powerful, and it's like going beyond the limits, and it was very important for the female martial arts. That was, I mean, there was two waves, right? I think you said it perfectly. There's the Gina Carano wave and the Chris Cyborg wave in the early days.

And then right after that, Ronda Rousey. I think so, yeah. And I think Ronda was an even bigger wave. Exactly. The way she was finishing everybody. She's this beautiful woman who is so skilled and, you know, arm barring everybody. I think also it takes place that it was UFC fights. Right.

Because no matter how talented you are, no matter how beautiful you are, if you're fighting in the smaller league, it's going to stay in the smaller league. So when they first started having fights in the UFC, how exciting was that for you when you saw women fighting in the UFC for the first time? No, it was the same for me. It's like, I don't know. You didn't think like that could be me now?

No, no. I never had these things. It could be me that or I will compete there. I just was like, OK, it's happening. It's opportunity. Definitely it can be someday. But it wasn't something like, oh, I have to be there. And I was like, do anything to be there.

I just every time in my life, I don't like to rush things. I just like do everything for make it happen to be ready when it's happen. But in the same time to not do like some crazy movement towards that one because it's it's not right. I think it's completely like not right because you just losing your style yourself I just okay it's happening it's a good sign but I continue to my life I don't know what's it gonna be like through the some years and for example I tell you local fighters born in United States, five, seven fights, they have chance to be in the UFC. Fighter who was born far has to make like whole this circle around the world, living

in South America for eight years, winning 17 times world titles. And then, only then, being signed for the UFC. Well, that's you. I had a long way. I'm not complaining. I think it's very good thing. I think it's a very good way because I am ready for where I am right now because you can see like fighters who are like mentally not ready

for being in the position what's there and just they are starting to break and they're thinking oh it's so much pressure I am NOT ready for that I don't want my title I want to give up I don't want to, it's so much pressure. I am not ready for that. I don't want my title. I want to give up. I don't want to do it anymore. So this is not right because they're going to fight. They're still going to come back and fight. And I think it's better to fight for the title than be a challenger to defend your title. But in my case, I already was so ready to do what I am doing.

I am ready mentally. I know that my first fight, definitely it was huge. It was big. It was different to compare to other leagues where I competed because it was just big. But I was ready for it. It didn't put any pressure on me extra. I think you make a very good point because I look at some talented young fighters and I say, this person has a lot of potential, but they're in the deep water too quickly. I know. And then they're going to get hurt. So they'll, they'll fight against someone who

is far better than them and they'll get set up and hurt. And I think they might have a better chance at a better career, a better result, if they started out in the smaller leagues and worked their way up. I think that Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender series is amazing, and I love the fact that these things exist. Even the Ultimate Fighter, I think it's amazing that these things exist. But there are some fighters that I think should hold off and wait. And some do.

Like Yuri Prohaska. He's a good example. Right? They offered him the UFC years ago. I believe it was like five years ago. And he's like, I'm not ready yet. And he's very smart. And by the time he was ready, man, was he ready.

Yeah. I mean, you look at his two fights in the UFC, Vulcan Ozdemir knocks him out. And then Dominic Reyes knocks him out. So two fights in the UFC already in contention for the title. Amazing. Amazing. But it's because he was ready. Whereas some other fighters, maybe they get there too soon.

And you're seeing them kind of get beat up when they're fighting someone that's too many levels above them where it's not really competitive yet. Like they're not, they don't have the skills. Like some people can just rise. Like Jon Jones, again, he's another example. He was in the UFC early in his career. again he's another example he was in the UFC early in his career but he was so talented yes that he was able to dominate guys like Mauricio Shogun Hua in his first title fight when he was 22 years old which is crazy right but some people they're just not ready yet but they could be they could be one day and I think that they get into the UFC maybe too soon. Whereas with you, you had so much experience.

World Championship Muay Thai fights. You had MMA fights. You had all this experience. You were like a fully developed martial artist by the time you got to the UFC, which I think is the perfect way to do it. I think for me it's worked so good, everything. It's worked so well, and I was's worked so well and I was ready. I knew exactly what I want.

I knew exactly what is my goal, what I have to do to continue, make my life interesting. And this is what I'm still doing. I know exactly what I have to do I don't have any doubts how to have my life how to live my life to still feel like this interest as for the life interest for martial arts this desire for keep training they have same hard way as I do so I know exactly how to maintain that and this this is, I think, the best because for me, martial arts, it's not just sport. It's my, I every time say it's my lifestyle, even my philosophy.

Even, for example, if you come back to the question about the meditation and like all these things. For me, gym, place where I train, it's like my temple. I'm coming there without laughing, joking,

or because when you're going to the temple, you have to be respectful for what you are doing, for everything what's around you. This is for me my gym. I'm very respectful for that place. And I know exactly if I will be respectful, it will keep me safe from injuries. Not every time, but most likely.

Because I will be focused on what I am doing without any distractions. That's why for me martial arts, it's for me as a person. It's teach me so much. I'm so grateful for martial arts because it's like everything what I am right now, it's because of martial arts. Do you have long-term goals? I mean, you are already a world champion. You're already at the top of your heap. Do you have goals? I just want to continue to have the way of life that I have, the lifestyle that I have.

I don't like to set up these kind of goals. I think it's good and no, because if something went... You don't know what like what exactly goal sometimes it's like you can invent the goal and if it's not fit for you you it's not happening you're just gonna feel frustrated i just try to prepare myself for um the like to put in myself more knowledge what I can have, I mean fighting and general life, just to have more things to know how to do. And where the opportunity will come, and it can be anything. It's like, whatever, I will be ready to take it. But I know that when it comes, you have

to be smart to react it fast. Because sometimes people think, oh, maybe this is not time. I will wait for another one. But another one can never happen. So then you're thinking, I should do that. So it's kind of like hard, hard decisions. Do you have ideas about careers that you would like to explore when you're done fighting? When I'm done fighting. Done fighting, but still like it can be like not done fighting. So it can be both. I very like movies, action movies. So yeah, acting, it's one of the options that I really enjoy.

I don't feel myself like it's something hard what I have to do. It just happens. Everything what I do is natural. I feel that way. So I don't know. Maybe shooting competition. Maybe after I finish competing, fighting, I will compete in shooting. Why not?

Yeah, I want to talk to you about that. When did you get involved with guns? When did that become a big part of your life? I have the introduction was like gun world from my coach, from Pavel. He was served in army, in Soviet army in Soviet army so yeah definitely has a lot of knowledge about different arms guns and yeah it was back in Russia but when we moved to Peru we started to compete in defensive shooting competition like IDPA IPSC here I think it's called Ips IPSC, here I think it's called IPSC.

I think it's excellent sport, like shooting style, when you are not only just in your position and shooting for the accuracy, but also you are shooting in different positions, moving, standing, laying down, sitting. So it's like a circuit with different targets, different circuits, different goals, how you have to shoot. And it's like everything combination about the gun is stuck at some point, you have to be able to resolve the issue and continue your shooting. So it's very like amazing sport. What teach you to respect what you are doing, to respect a gun, to respect everything like considering about the safety and like whatever you have but also teach you uh to not have fear for a gun but know how to um like how to use it for the sport i've talked to people that have shot with you and they say that you shoot like you fight who was that

someone who had trained with you. I don't even remember the gentleman's name, but he watched you shoot in Texas. And he said, when you see her fight, that's how she shoots. And they said you're very high level. I'm trying, I'm trying. Of course, there is so high level competitors in the shooting because they are spending all their lives doing what they're doing. And definitely it's all these tricks about everything, about how they shoot.

And definitely for now I spend more time in martial arts, definitely. But I enjoy so much shooting because gun culture it's very strong culture and it's amazing because it's like It's a history. It's a human history if you're like watching a gun From what made was made like big then I have a rifle most in rifle from 1935 Really? Yes. It's like it was in the Spain war and yeah, it has a lot of history. Bolt action? Yes.

Is it good? Is it accurate? It's very precise. Really? Actually, you know, I don't know if you know, the last, no, this summer I was participating in the first ever hunter games organized from the 6th hour. And so they made like two days competition. It was five teams. Yeah, five teams of three shooters.

So we were walking the circuit of how many miles? So we were walking the circuit of how many miles? So it was eight hours to pass all the circuits. It was 10 circuits. Like an elevation, it was 9,000 elevation. So it was hard competition. But what I was, so for this competition, I was, my gun was Cross, the rifle from SIG Sauer. And it's like the modern rifle with like the scope. Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. You see how modern it is. It's like so much technology. But what I was preparing for this competition is my Mosin rifle. It's a bolt action. Yeah, so precise, so good. 1935. Exactly.

Iron sights? Oh, yes. Yes, it's kind of like nothing comparing to that. When did they first develop scopes for rifles hard to tell yeah yeah it's I would say maybe World War some something like that yeah but what I was like telling it it's about the history is a gun history it's like human history people who was like creating that guns they're like not alive anymore but we still have the opportunity touch their like creatures and like feel the energy it's like uh sculptures what we

have in different city for example we see some in it like you know you read the capture like the history it was made but this famous artist back like, I don't know, 100 years ago. The same with the guns. It's like it's a huge art history. It's way much deeper than just a gun. I have a friend who collects old guns, and he has flintlock guns. So like with the flint and the ball and musket. Black powder.

Yes, yeah, the old school muzzleloader. Oh my God. It's wild. It's like you think that that was what people went to war with. You know, I have one. Do you? I do, but I never shot it because it's very hard to find the right ammunition for it

and you have to be sure that it's the right one. So I was trying to, I was asking my friends, everyone, but they advised me, Valentina, keep it on the wall. Yeah, it's an antique more than it is anything. But it's so interesting to think that they used to use flint, an actual piece of stone, to strike against the base. And that's how, yeah. It's crazy that that's how guns would fire.

And they would pull the trigger and then there was a delay. Boom! And then it would shoot. Yeah. I think it's the same with martial arts when it started. Like, when it's, like, what martial it was back then in what is now like modern arm exactly this is it this is it wow that's that's such a cool gun and what year is that gun from um if i'm not mistaken it's uh sometime 1800s wow yeah keep that on the wall. Yes, I know. It is fascinating how much the technology has improved and changed.

I was hunting recently, and most of the time I bow hunt, but we did some hunting for pigs, and we used rifles. And this rifle had an illuminated reticle. had an illuminated reticle. Like you hit a button and it would show all the different ranges where the rifle, where you would have to aim at 100, at 200, at 300, and it was all marked off. I was like, this is incredible. Like the technology.

Technology, exactly. For example, this cross rifle from SIG, it has like a brake system of when it's, the scope connected via Bluetooth with the binoculars and you can set your range, like seeing the target, you set it, it's connected and the rifle knows where to shoot. Yeah, SIG has an amazing system, right? Where their range finder connects with with apps their scopes connect with apps

and that all of this works together i have a few guns from sig i have a few of their pistols and i have ar i have two ars from them yeah they make great stuff but it's just so incredible how everything is like when you when you start studying it and realizing that the ballistics are so accurate and precise that now they have these competitions where people are shooting out to 1100 1200 yards and hitting small steel targets at 1200 yards i mean it's crazy i know this is a level yeah do you do any of that long range shooting um for that competition i was like spending more time training for the lawn. And the longest what we have, it was 1,000.

1,000. Yes, it's the longest what we had in the competition, yeah. But I would say that I'm really looking forward to the next year where they're going to do the second games. Yeah. Because it's a combination of shooting and to be in a good physical condition

and it's like the best and you are in the nature it's like targets the same like in the shape of animal with like steel lungs the shape of the lungs and you have to hit the steel target and you

first you arrive to your stage you have to see where's the targets and you don't know how many there are them before you get into the like any of stages so it can be two or three like different targets it you have to find it like in the real situation they have hundreds of of your kind of like have to spend some time. Once you find it, you have to shoot. Like you have three shots and each shot gives you some points. And then you shoot, you move to the next target, to the next target. And it kind of was like amazing experience.

One, because of competition itself. And the second because so much amazing people yeah it was uh combining together and like uh so good spirit we slept under the sky in a tent so it's like uh amazing royce gracie was there yeah royce is big on shooting yeah he's very good too. He's really dedicated to shooting. We spoke with him and it's like, he's so amazing person. So nice. Just got done training with my friend John Dudley in archery. So now he's learning archery as well. Like he just went through a whole like a comprehensive multiple day course one-on-one with my friend John amazing

yeah I think it's like and everything like definitely when you have these people around you it's so huge motivation well the gun culture and gun gun the gun community it gets oftentimes disparaged unfortunately because it's not it's not accurate gun people and gun culture they're some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life it's true they're very nice they're very respectful and they're friendly and kind and they're welcoming to people that want to participate and they're I mean I've never like when I go to Taron Tactical when I'm in Los Angeles there's always someone there that's like some world champion shooter

that will give you advice and give you tips and help. And you can, there's so much encouragement. Yes. It's amazing. This is what I say, that the gun by itself, it teaches you about respect, be kind, be noble, be like help to each other. it's like uh it's amazing it's uh it's like it's it's just different and i would say that um those those people are like truly

care about nature and truly care about animals because it sounds like they shoot animals they had animals but they care it's every every time like funds what they are creating and every every time it's like foundation and something like that and yeah i was like i have friends hunter hunters and uh they are just like one of the best persons ever. Yeah, they're some of the nicest people. And what you're saying is true. They contribute more to conservation than any other group. True.

In this country, there's not a single group that even comes close to the contributions to wildlife and conservation that hunters give. Yes, this is fact. All the money when hunters, because the Pittman-Robertson Act, when hunters buy gear and ammunition and guns, I think it's 10%. Find out what that is. I think it's the Pittman-Robertson Act. I believe it's 10%. So I think what it is is 10% of all the money that comes from the sale of hunting gear goes towards conservation. And I believe it's not just hunting gear.

I believe it's also the sale of recreational firearms. That money goes towards wildlife protection, protection of habitat. It goes to hire wildlife biologists who will monitor the population, the species, to make sure they're healthy. So it's kind of counterintuitive to people that don't understand the relationship and don't understand anybody in that. What does it say here? 11%. Okay. So 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition.

11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Instead of going to the U.S. Treasury, that is done as the pass. The money generated by the tax is instead given to the Secretary of the Interior to distribute to the states. The Secretary determines how much to give to each state based on the formula that takes into account both the area of the state

and the number of licensed hunters. So it's pretty interesting. Yeah. And through this Pittman-Robertson Act, they've generated billions and billions of dollars that have all gone towards conservation. Yeah, yeah. People just have to know that, right?

Yeah. Well, again, there's misconceptions. There's misconceptions about gun culture in terms of like recreational gun users. People want to think that people that own guns are like terrible people or bad people or just assholes or bullies or whatever. But it's not when you when you meet these people there. There is a certain humility that comes with guns because you realize anybody could just point that gun at you and kill you. Like that is the ultimate balancing act right like if if you want balance in in with of power it doesn't matter how big you are oh no a 25 pound child can do that can squeeze a trigger can kill you and it

sounds terrible and you don't want a 25 pound child to have a pistol, but if they had one, they could kill you. And this is about like, I think about this education, right? I would love to see more programs starting like in the school, educate like everyone to how to respect the arms, the safety and stuff. Instead of like prohibit like everything yeah just teach people explains people like then they have choice what they like or they want to do that or they don't but how they will know the truth if they don't know and everyone like try to hide yes well i

feel that way about martial arts as well. I think that if, you know, there's all these discussions about how to decrease bullying in school. And I think the best option is to teach children how to fight. Teach children martial arts because they won't, first of all, they won't want to bully anybody. It's not skilled martial arts for the most part. There's some exceptions, but it's not, for the most part. There's some exceptions, but for the most part, it's not the skilled, trained martial artists that are the bullies.

It's people that are insecure and the people that really don't know how to fight. That's why the best advice about bullies is always to stand up to them. But if you just taught them martial arts, they wouldn't want to be bullies. Again, it seems counterintuitive, but I think that it really is the correct response, the correct strategies probably to distribute martial arts throughout schools. I think we'd have healthier kids. I think so too, because kids, they have so much energy. They have to spend this energy.

And what is the better place to spend it as a gym right to spend in doing something like useful for your life for like whatever not only self-defense but in general sports it's good and it's kind of like uh definitely child has to move has to do a lot of things has to practice here there because they have so much energy. They have to spend it. And, yeah, it's kind of like the only one thing. Teach them, explain them, and, like, make them experience. Instead of, like, I don't know, every time there is some fight in the school, right?

And, like, instead of, like, do something, like, to prohibit, put fight in the school right and like instead of like do something like to prohibit put them in the class put gloves on them they would fight each other like a training class and something like that and then they will feel good and friends better friends than fighting on the street or something like that because i I noticed that, for example, in my trainings, when we do hard sparring with some other training partners, and it's make us better connected to each other, better friends, because we experience the same. Yes, we hit each other, yes, we hit with the full power,

but we have so much respect to each other. It's just different level, different. What do you think about this debate about sparring? Because there are some people, including very high-level fighters, that don't spar anymore. They get to a certain point in their career, like Max Holloway, for an example. And you could say there's a lot of debate about this. But where there's no debate is how good Max Holloway looks. So to me, it's so perplexing because I think it's undeniable that there's a certain amount of timing

and fluidity that's generated from sparring. But it's also undeniable that sometimes people spar too hard and that you lose some of your resiliency and you're taking away some of the future of your career from these hard sparring sessions. So what are your thoughts on hard sparring? Do you think Max Sainz-Drews, that he's not sparring? You never know, right? You never know.

Yeah, you never know. I don't think he's lying, but he might be. He's tricky. Tricky, Max. I know, I think he's telling the truth. I really do. But you know what I feel about sparring? Sparring is necessary.

If you want to prepare yourself for the fight, you have to feel your opponent. Timing and like one thing when you hit pads, different when you hit someone and someone hit you back. But sometimes people they have wrong approach to sparring. Sometimes they want, like mostly young people, not having much experience. They want to show that they're brave that they are not afraid uh like to get to receive this hit or something like that um they said why i have to put helmet what i'm professional i'm a super fighter i don't put a helmet and definitely And definitely when you absorb strong strike, like a jab or whatever, you're going to feel it.

You're going to feel it. And if it's before the fight, training camp, you have to have sparrings, a lot of sparrings. And the less protection you have, the more damage you have. So it's my concept. You have to protect yourself first helmets shin pads elbow pads knee pads everything you have to have everything so uh it's kind of your um people that they if they have damage like every day damage damage damage, and no protection, this is what affected them in the fight because they're coming to the fight already like with a lot of...

Right. Yeah, but if you are protected, you still can like big gloves, for example, you have. Definitely you won't spar with a small gloves with full power. You don't want to do that. But if you have like big gloves, helmet, and everything, it's kind of you have certain type of protection It's definitely not protecting you a lot, but it helps you to be Healthier and stronger with less damage for the fight itself. So when you spar are you sparring with?

like boxing gloves on Depends depends usually like if it's most likely if it's five round fight and we need this spar it's going to be big gloves. Definitely it will affect grappling. Definitely.

But you have to choose. Yeah. And when you spar are you sparring full blast? 100% power? Oh yes. Really? Oh, yes. Really? Interesting.

Because to get ready for something and know how it's going to look, you have to do it in full. It's like, for example, rehearsal for the movie. You can do it like 50%, but you have to have it 100% like a few times just to know what you're going to do. And this is the same. Even, for example, it's not happening here because we got our uniform right before the fight. but before when I fight it in Muay Thai in different like competition I was it was necessary to have one or two trainings in the same uniform the same gear what I would use for my fight in the competition so you would have training sessions with no shin pads smaller gloves no I want to say I know I want to say more about shorts or like top or something like

that you have to make sure that it's going to be comfortable because it's like small detail but it can bring a whole difference i want i will not do never full power sparring no shin guard small small gloves never before the fight only for the fight yeah that makes sense um the ties when they spar they spend a lot of times playing they play spar where they touch each other they're tapping because they fight so often that they're prepared for fighting because they're fighting on a regular basis sometimes once a week or once every two weeks. But when they spar, they spar very lightly. What are your thoughts on that sort of play sparring? Like if you watch San Chai, for example, he's one of the best ever.

And when he spars, he's very light and it's a lot of movement and playful. You know, it's very different. For example, we have to consider all circumstances. For example, if you're speaking about ties, what they're doing. They are, for example, fighting each week. They have competition. They even can do shadow boxing between their competition. It wouldn't affect their performances.

Right. Because competition by itself,'s give to a lot and if you compete frequently definitely you don't have to spend too much time in the training to prepare your body for the fight you can spend less time because fight it's already put gonna put you on next level and definitely like I think Sancai, he has days when he has to spar, like, in full. He has days when he can do it light, but definitely he spars in full as well. So you think that the play, the play sparring, is basically just a result of the fact that they fight so often. Most likely, yeah.

To prepare so you don't have to hurt yourself in training. Yes. It doesn't make any sense to hurt yourself in the fight, then do it again in the training, then again in the fight. No. It's like what's the ultimate goal to be healthier for your fight? That's why you have to find the way how it's going to work the best way. The Thais also do a lot of running.

I know. Yeah. Do you run when you're in Thailand when you're training there? No. You don't? No. Really? No.

I never run. I just don't like run because, you know, for example, we have a glass and this is our energy, for example. We can fill it with full of energy or like our training session. It's this time we can fill it with half of running and half of doing like things what's gonna help for the fight or we can fool it like this full time what's gonna help us for the fight run is good but when it's not enough like your technique or something what would help you in the fight it's like not make sense but if you will do like strong training and running like before the training you come to the training already tired and you don't have this energy to do your main thing to do what you have to do in the

training to like perform your best in the training for your fight because you spend your own energy already running. So it's like wasting your energy. This is my thought. The argument against that is that what you're doing in the strength and conditioning is building your reservoir of energy. So you're making it much bigger because instead of concentrating on the technique you're only concentrating on the physical performance of your cardiovascular system you're only concentrating on your vo2 max you're only concentrating on explosive energy and power and then in building that you strengthen the machine that you used to fight with yes but if you do the same with your training

partner it will work double because machine doesn't respond to you. It's like you used to do a certain exercise, the way what you are doing with the machine. But when you are in the fight, the machine starts to work differently because it's attacking you as well. And you have to now work differently. This is what I want to tell. You are not focusing on the technique when you are training with a training partner. You are focusing on both your resistance and technique. So it's different.

It's harder. Yes, I know it's harder. It's very hard because you have to be perfect in your technique and also have enough resistance, endurance for keep going. This is what I want to say but I don't I don't want to force anyone it's just the way what is work for me well obviously it's working very well for you so it's interesting well there's other people that had similar strategies like George St. Pierre told me he didn't really I mean I think I think he varied, he changed things up at some point in time in his career. And he did have different approaches as time went on. But at one

point in time, he said, I don't do any strength and conditioning. He goes, I concentrate on efficiency. And I concentrate on my technique and I concentrate on fight training. And he had the same philosophy that time spent doing other things would detract from his ability to improve his efficiency and improve his overall technique and more i want to add like um all injuries they are coming mostly from training when you are in the training and when you are like already so tired to defend something and you just just like, okay, whatever, I will fall down and you fall down bad. Right. And this is what is energy come from.

So if you are doing like you spend half of energy of running, then already you don't have this defense level, like protection level against the injuries. So it's kind of like another point of view when you train in thailand they give you a hard time about not running no no you know it's never was something like i i was not any time training in thailand on the regular basis and since the beginning it was i have my coach and he's the one who is like saying what i have to do and what i don't have to do pavel he was every time like looking for me for uh his students for antonina uh to do the right things because uh like he spent so much energy in us he put so much like everything what like creating the fighters right and then to have someone

messed up and destroyed no he has to like take he has to see and control to have control of how the training process is going. And, for example, now our trainings in Tiger Muay Thai, it's what we are doing. We have the same, like, group. We have people from all around the world, some Thai fighters, some, like, fighters who are, like, in that time in Tiger Muay Thai. And we do, we do separate training. We have our schedule and certain time what we are training, and we do our style training.

Now, when it comes to things like endurance, do you monitor your heart rate? Do you check your heart rate in the morning? You're smiling at me. I don't do that. I don't do that. I don't check my heart rate. I don't use gadgets. I don't even like, I don't do that. And I know there is like a lot of apps. They are very helpful. They just help to know how you feel. But my indicator, it's myself. My indicator, if I feel good, this is the most important indicator. If I feel that, for example, I don't have endurance during the training, it means that my diet is not good. It means something like I have to change in my diet

most likely. So my indicator, it's myself. So I don't believe in gadgets, they gonna help me in the fight. I believe in myself. Only, like there is one person who gonna help me. So, no heart rate monitors. No.

No VO2 max tests, none of that. Do you monitor your progress when it comes to training camp entirely based on how you feel then or you don't write anything down oh uh do you keep a journal of your training sessions or anything um i i was doing it like years ago like most likely uh not training session but like diet yeah for example my weight in the morning like that and what this is what i was eating like that after training i felt this that that i i did it like part of my time but right now no right now it's like um i know exactly how I have to feel. And every time like sharing my feeling with my team and we are like saying like, okay, this is right. This is not right. This is like okay to feel that during this period of training camp. And this is what we have to do to like maintain it or something like that.

Yes. Now it's all about sense, right? How would I say? Your intuition. Intuition. How you feel. Yes. Do you have a nutritionist that you work with? I know you're at the UFC PI.

So do you work with their nutritionist or how do you decide like what you eat? How I decide what I eat um uh the team of UC performance institute they are so incredible and for example for uh like uh fight week Charles uh Nicole and uh like uh clean they are like working so good to build your like meals and working like excellent i cannot complain because it's amazing what fighter can have someone to be like to to worry about their food and you don't have to think about anything just like it's already just eat but uh the rest of the time i just monitoring my food myself i know the diet what has worked for me i know exactly what is uh what things i have to eat how to maintain my weight or i don't have to eat but i'm not that like strict on the diet when i um out of the fight out of the competition i I can eat anything.

And it's the same, the balance and my intuition. When my body start to feel heavy, and I feel okay, this is too much water in me, I just put sauna suit and go to run. Sauna suit? Yes. Now do you, like, what is your diet like? If you say you know what works for you.

What is a general... For the fight? No, just like general training. What is your diet like? What do you eat most? A lot of cakes. Chocolate cakes. With a lot of creams on top.

Are you kidding? No. Really? I just like sweets, yes. Are you kidding? No. Really? I just like sweets, yes. You eat cake? I do. Really? Yes.

So if someone asked me, do you think that Valentina Shevchenko eats sugar, I'd be like, no, no way. Oh, yes, a lot. If you would ask people who know me, they'd say, oh, my God, she's all about sugar. You're all about sugar. But is it because you train so hard, your body needs that glucose and you can get away with it? Is this like an after training thing or is it just you just love cake? I just love them. Yeah.

It's just I like the taste. But what about nutrition? Like do you have like staples in your diet in terms of meat and vegetables? What is your diet normally like? The only thing that I keep a rule, and I can break it sometimes if it's some party or some situation, it's I'm not eating after 5 p.m. So this is the most important if i know that uh after 5 p.m i just stop i can drink some tea like water but no sugar and it's going to be balanced so this is the

most important rule and definitely when i feel it's okay it's too much sugar I go and eat salad. Too much cake. So 5pm. And then when would generally your morning workout be? Um, sometime, like, sometime, it's early seven, sometime it's eight. But we train in the morning. And I like to train in the morning. I don't like to train like past 10. So it's going to be sometime between seven and lately. So even if it's seven, you're still generally getting about 14 hours of intermittent fasting. But before the training, I don't eat. No training? No. Wow. So you eat at 5 p.m. as you're done. And then after training. And then you wait and then train for hours. Yeah. Wow, that's interesting.

Yeah. No fruit, no nothing? I can take a shake, for example, meal replacement, something like that. And lately I very like this greens, protein, and collagen. I mix that. like greens protein and collagen i make that and uh i i can have that like just a small amount before the training but that's it yeah i don't like to feel full before the training it's affect my endurance but that's crazy that you go that long and then train really hard for multiple hours? Yes, but it depends how much you ate before five. Before five.

Oh, so you pig out. How much? Not that big. Not that big. Now, when you are training, are you taking any sort of glucose supplement while you're training? Like are you drinking Gatorade? While training, no.

No, just water? No, I don't drink during the training. You don't drink any water? No. Really? Yes. So for hours, you're training for hours, no water? Yeah, no water.

Wow. Yeah. It's, I don't know, it's in Soviet system. It was in, like, all boxing, all wrestlers, they had the same, like, no drinking. It was like all boxing, all wrestlers, they had the same, like no drinking. Because it's kind of like, you know, I feel when you drink, your liver and your heart start to work more. And it's like after five minutes after you drink, you feel like more tired than it was before. So I just like, I don't drink.

Even just a little bit of water as a sip? Nothing? No, no, because I don't feel that I, I used to, all my life I didn't drink and that I just used to it. So all my life it was like during the training, no drinks, no water. And this is, I feel good. I feel comfortable.

So I don't need that. Wow, that's incredible. What about. So I don't need that. Wow. That's incredible. What about alcohol? I don't drink. Nothing. I don't drink, but I'm not against it. I'm not like a person who's like judging people for drinking or something like that. No.

I think it's the same culture of drinks. And more my family, my grandfather, grandfather he was doing he was like homemade wine and now my mom she's continued his tradition and she is every time sending picture of making her own wine oh wow yeah but you don't touch it no I don't know I don't feel you think when you're done competing, maybe? It's different. Yes, maybe. Maybe someday? I'm doing my theory now. Right.

What about vitamins and supplements and things along those lines? Training camp. Yeah, training camp. Only during training camp? Only training camp. So for, what is it, how long is your training camp generally? Two months, probably. Yeah.

So for those eight weeks, you'll take in vitamins and supplements. Like what kind of vitamins do you take? So I have UFC Performance Institute Nutrition Specialist Nutrition Team. Yes, it's amazing because they are taking care of everything. That's very convenient. And so that's generally the reason why you moved to Las Vegas, to have access to the Performance Institute? Actually, it was not the main reason. No?

I just love Nevada. I love Las Vegas. I like the climate. Yes, definitely it's kind of hot in the summertime. It's only a few months. It's only a few months. If we are speaking about what the weather is right now there, it's only a few months it's only a few months if we are speaking about what the weather is not right now there it's just perfect it's so i like the quality of air and everything i i never thought

that i will be so in love with the desert nature i grew up uh in kyrgyzstan. We have four seasons. We have gorgeous summer, super cold winter, like spring. It's something like so beautiful, like so many greens, so many trees, so many everything, colors. And I never thought that I'm going to miss so much dessert. And I knew it. me so much dessert. And I knew it. We had last summer, our US trip.

And we usually like, when COVID things, all of this starts and we start to explore United States like so deep and like just traveling. We just take our car, our truck. And for two, two and a half months,

we just driving around. And it's our trip. It's different. We are not going like from destination to destination. For example, our navigator saying like, okay, you have two hours drive. But in reality, it will take like six, seven hours because we are just driving small roads, stopping in every little town. And, like, if there is, like, by the coast, marinas and something like that.

And last summer we traveled. We started from Las Vegas, then we went Lake Tahoe, then San Francisco, and drew all Highway 1, Pacific Coast, up, like, to the, the like all the way up and then like Seattle Washington and all the area by the border with Canada so it was amazing trip two and a half months and then when we were on our way back and we starting to drive closer to Nevada, closer to that nature, desert nature, I was like, oh my God, it feel like coming back home. You're accustomed to it now.

Yes. It's amazing how much outside activity, outdoor activities you can also do in the Las Vegas area. Like I've had Alex Honnold on the podcast before. Do you know who he is? The free solo climber. Yeah. And he was telling me like, there's a lot of climbers that moved to Las Vegas just cause they have access to so many climbing routes. Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, it's so many activities like, uh, shooting, a lot of shooting, right? Yeah. That's right up your alley. Skydiving.

Do you skydive too? I did indoor. Indoor skydiving. Oh, that's a lot safer. It's different. Yeah, but it's better to start with something, right? Yes. Yeah, and also you don't fall as far. I know. Yeah, you're just kind of floating around in that big fan. And you have your protections.

Yes, much, much, much better. Well, listen, listen Valentina it's been a pleasure to talk to you I really appreciate you coming in here I've admired your work inside the octagon and I really appreciate your your style and your technique and your ability it's it's beautiful to watch so I'm a big fan so for me this was a real treat thank you so much Joe it's my pleasure yeah I can't wait to see you in there again. Hopefully next time I will talk to you, they will say, and still. I will work on it hard. I'm sure you will.

I have no doubts. So thank you very much. Thank you. Bye, everybody.