UFC’s Valentina Shevchenko regains focus after her longtime coach was shot

There were about 10 days early in training camp for the biggest fight of her life when competing in the octagon was the furthest thing from Valentina Shevchenko’s mind.

Shevchenko was far more concerned with the health of her longtime coach, Pavel Fedotov, who was hospitalized after a gunfight in Lima, Peru, than with her UFC on Fox 20 main event bout in Chicago against former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm.

Fedotov and Shevchenko were dining in a restaurant that was robbed May 30 when Fedotov decided to open fire on the three perpetrators, killing one. The coach was shot in the abdomen, and Shevchenko rushed to his aid before they got in a cab and rushed to the hospital.

While Shevchenko never considered pulling out of Saturday’s fight, she said the 10 days that followed the incident were incredibly difficult.

“I couldn’t think about anything,” she said after beating Holm by unanimous decision for the biggest win of her career. “I couldn’t think about the fight, and I couldn’t train. I knew I should go forward. Pavel said, ‘You should take this fight and prepare. What happened doesn’t matter.’”

Shevchenko said her mind immediately transformed the moment she returned to the gym.

“When I did my first step to training, I felt better,” the 28-year-old Kyrgyzstan native said. “I threw out every thought I had and just focused on the fight. I didn’t care about anything except the victory. I would have done anything to get it. I’m feeling great right now.”

Fedotov, who recovered enough to return to the gym with Shevchenko last month, was instrumental in the victory. He has coached Shevchenko, a former Muay Thai world champion, since she was 5 and had her well prepared to defeat Holm.

“He gave me solutions to every kind of problem I could have in the fight,” Shevchenko said. “I had in my mind techniques to use against anything she could do. Martial arts is not only sport for me, it’s my life. I’ve spent over 20 years preparing for this fight.”

Shevchenko said she hopes the win will set her up for a rematch against Amanda Nunes, who has won the belt since their first meeting in March, which Nunes won.

Shevchenko struggled in the first two rounds against Nunes before dominating the third. She said she thinks she would win a rematch and the title.

“The most important thing is I’m starting to feel like the octagon is my home,” Shevchenko said. “I’m keeping my eyes on the bantamweight championship. This is what I want so much. The fight with Amanda before, she won not because she is stronger or better than me. She won because I gave her the opportunity to win. Next fight, I know I will do better, and going forward, I will not give anyone the opportunity to beat me.”

UFC 201 CARD SET

The card has been finalized for the UFC 201 pay-per-view event Saturday in Atlanta.

A women’s strawweight contender bout between Rose Namajunas and Karolina Kowalkiewicz will serve as the co-main event behind the headliner of Tyron Woodley challenging Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title.

Wilson Reis, who was supposed to challenge Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title, will fight newcomer Hector Sandoval on the preliminary card on Fox Sports 2.

Johnson was forced to pull out of the fight with an undisclosed injury. A light heavyweight bout between Ed Herman and Nikita Krylov will serve as the main event of the preliminary card, which begins at 5 p.m.

The pay-per-view broadcast, which begins at 7, will open with a flyweight bout between Ian McCall and Justin Scoggins.

UFC RETURNS TO PORTLAND

The UFC announced it will return to Portland, Oregon, for the first time since 2009.

UFC Fight Night 95 will be Oct. 1 inside the Moda Center. The event is expected to air on Fox Sports 1.

No fights have been announced for the card.

UFC 102, held in 2009, was the only UFC event to take place in Oregon. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated Randy Couture by unanimous decision in the main event.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.