Coach Shevchenko spoke out after vacating his UFC title! He revealed details about the injury

Valentina Shevchenko had to relinquish her UFC flyweight championship belt. The coach of the decorated fighter provided an update on her health and explained why this decision was made.

Valentina Shevchenko was set to return to the Octagon on October 3 at UFC 332. Her opponent was to be Natália Silva, and the women’s flyweight championship was, of course, on the line.

In the end, however, the fight will not take place. Health issues have ruled Shevchenko out of the bout, and due to the anticipated long hiatus, it was decided that she would vacate her championship belt. Wang Cong will take the reigning champion’s place in the bout against Silva, with the vacant title at stake.

This is a major setback for Shevchenko, who has earned her status as one of the best female fighters in the history of women’s MMA over the years. At this stage of her career, a prolonged hiatus due to health issues could have particularly significant consequences.

Valentina Shevchenko’s coach revealed details about her injury

More information about the former champion’s health was provided by her longtime coach, Pavel Fedotov. In an interview with Ushatayka, he revealed that Shevchenko is dealing with shoulder and back injuries.

“We were supposed to fight Natália Silva on October 3, but due to a shoulder and back ligament injury, we decided not to rush things and to postpone the fight,” Fedotov said .

The hiatus is expected to last long enough that Shevchenko’s camp did not want to block the flyweight division. At the same time, the coach made it clear that his fighter has no intention of giving up on regaining the championship once she has fully recovered.

“Given that his recovery will take a long time, we’ve decided to temporarily vacate the title. Once he’s recovered, he’ll fight for it again,” he added.

Shevchenko now faces a period of rehabilitation, and the situation at the top of the flyweight division will change in her absence. At UFC 332, the bout between Natália Silva and Wang Cong will determine the new champion. If everything goes according to Shevchenko’s camp’s plan, the former champion will want to immediately reclaim the title she lost without a fight upon her return.