"It's history making" - Valentina Shevchenko reacts to becoming first female since Ronda Rousey to achieve this EA Sports UFC feat

Former UFC flyweight champion and legend of the sport, Valentina Shevchenko was chosen to be on the cover of the new EA Sports UFC 5 video game, alongside UFC featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski.

This is the first time a female fighter has graced the cover of the coveted game since Ronda Rousey, who did so back in 2016. Rousey, who was arguably the biggest star in the sport at the time, was on the cover of EA Sports UFC 2, which came out in March of 2016.

TNT Sports recently caught up with 'Bullet' and asked her how it felt to be on the cover, to which Shevchenko replied:

"It's very motivational, it's very grateful feeling, I'm very grateful for this opportunity and it's amazing, because it's history making, it's something amazing to be on the cover with Alex, with Israel Adesanya, with two great fighters, amazing fighters, the best ones in martial arts. It's a huge honor as well."

Check out the clip here:

Valentina Shevchenko is set to face Alexa Grasso in a rematch on September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shevchenko will get her shot at redemption as she looks to get her title back from Grasso and once again sit atop the flyweight division.

---

Valentina Shevchenko still a slight favorite, odds completely different from the first fight

Heading into their first fight, Valentina Shevchenko was an overwhelming -800 favorite. She had racked up seven straight title defenses, and looked unstoppable. Grasso, for her part, was a huge +550 underdog.

Once the fight started, however, things were certainly different. Grasso enjoyed a lot of success on the feet, forcing Shevchenko to resort to her grappling. Although Shevchenko was able to drag the fight to the mat, she failed to inflict significant damage.

In the fourth round, Shevchenko threw a spinning kick at Grasso. Grasso seized the opportunity and took the then-champion's back, eventually forcing a top via rear-naked choke.

Check out Alexa Grasso's finish over Valentina Shevchenko here:

Shevchenko and Grasso will go head-to-head in a rematch on September 16th, which will be the UFC's Mexican Independence Day card. As of the time of writing, the odds, according to Sports Interaction, are as follows:

Grasso via KO/TKO - +1000

Grasso via submission - +300

Grasso via decision - +305

Shevchenko via KO/TKO - +295

Shevchenko via decision - +125

Draw - +5000