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Valentina Shevchenko recently said that she does not plan to tackle UFC women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano until she finds herself facing her in the octagon.
When Montano (4-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was removed from his co-lead of the UFC 228 series for medical reasons, it was not a shock for the title challenger.
"I have already said, she can withdraw from the fight at any time," wrote Shevchenko (15-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a statement released. via Instagram after the cancellation of his fight. "She was already trying to avoid this fight a few times. This is my (third) preparation for this fight.
"It looks like it was his plan from the beginning, to show up at the fight week, to make a name, to speak confidently and safely, and then to escape from the fight in the last minutes.
It's not the first time that Shevchenko, 30, accuses Montano, 29, of dodging a fight with her. At the beginning of the year, she railed with the delay in the fight against the title following a dominant victory over Priscila Cachoeira. She also claimed that Montano had offers on the table for specific dates.
Montano finally took his own defense, revealing a fight with a lingering foot injury and an infection that resulted in a tonsillectomy.
Today, Monatano's team told MMAFighting.com that she had been removed from the fight for her kidney function. Multiple attempts to reach the fighter and his side were unsuccessful.
Following the withdrawal of Montano, Shevchenko severely criticized his potential opponent and apologized to the fans who came to see her fight.
"She was talking about combativeness and character … what kind of fight is she talking about?", Writes Shevchenko.
The canceled bout represents the second time she has seen a title match evaporate in the 24 hours preceding an event; At UFC 213, her shot at the women's weight belt against champion Amanda Nunes was canceled when Nunes suffered a sinus attack.
A UFC official said it is not known whether Shevchenko will receive compensation for the canceled fight.
For more information on UFC 228, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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