"The Belt is mine" Natalia Silva sends a firm reminder to Valentina Shevchenko
Natalia Silva is not amused by former Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko's shady way of congratulating her
Natalia Silva is not letting the former Flyweight champion forget that the belt belongs to her now.
Natalia Silva Not Entertaining Shevchenko's Congratulatory Approach
The Brazilian captured the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship last Saturday against Wang Cong. Her passionate declarations finally came true as she held the 125-pound belt high.
Following the win, Valentina Shevchenko made a social media post. The former flyweight champion was silent since the announcement of vacating the title became public. However, her way of congratulating Silva wasn’t appreciated too much by the latter.
"It's my pleasure to know that UFC champion's belt is now holding deserving martial artist — such as you are," Shevchenko wrote. "But don't get too comfortable— keep it warm, I'm coming soon for my belt!"
While Silva did show her due gratitude for Shevchenko’s acknowledgement, she also made a few things abundantly clear. One of them being that the Belt isn’t Shevchenko’s property anymore.
"The first thing she already got wrong in that post was talking about how the belt is hers," Silva clapped back in an interview with MMA Fighting. "'My belt. I'm going to get my belt.' The belt isn't hers anymore; the belt is mine. I'm the champion. I fought for this, I earned it, so I'm the champion now.”
She seemed disturbed about the Kyrgyz-Peruvian’s “keep it warm” comments, furthermore.
“She wasn't even keeping it warm herself. She would take a year between fights. She was fighting once a year, and now she's talking about keeping the belt warm?"
This definitely started a buzz among fans regarding when the two icons would meet in the Octagon. Silva, however, isn’t too eager to face Shevchenko at her earliest convenience.
Natalia Silva Doesn’t Care if She Fights Valentina Shevchenko or Not
Valentina Shevchenko’s latest post has sparked speculation about a bout between the former and the current flyweight champion. Despite Shevchenko’s slightly provocative congratulations, Natalia Silva made it clear that she’s not going to wait for her.
“If she wants to fight when she comes back, and there isn't another fight that needs to happen, we can fight, but we also have to look at the rankings and the queue because there are some girls who are doing really well and deserve to be fighting, you know?"
The Brazilian was candid about her previous intentions about fighting Shevchenko.
"I wanted to fight her because she was the champion, because she had what I wanted, she had the belt. Now, whether it's her or someone else, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm the champion now, and I'm the one who has to defend the title.”
She went as far as to say, “I don't even have to think about Valentina”. Fans are hoping this semi-bitter tension between the two icons will result in a legendary matchup. Even if it's in the distant future.
