Historically speaking, “The Ultimate Fighter” is not a reality show known for its exclusivity.
This is commonplace in the genre, but the original MMA series has had some pretty nasty moments, with bodily fluids finding their way onto the places where its cast members eat and sleep.
And for many seasons, tyrannical masculinity has been rampant among the players and the star-level athletes who coach them.
But if one of this season’s coaches is to be believed, viewers will witness a level of civility rarely seen throughout the show’s first 31 seasons, even when she faces off against two-time opponent and current flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.
“I’m a very positive person and we’ll never hate each other too much because we focus on the positive energy rather than bringing negativity around us,” Valentina Shevchenko told The Post via video call on Monday, the day before the season premiere of “TUF.” “I feel good about Alexa. I feel good about her. I’m not just saying that, I’m just saying what I feel. I wasn’t trying to create drama or conflict.”
The latest season, titled “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko,” will air every Tuesday at 10 PM ET on ESPN+.
Shevchenko noted that while the series first aired in 2005 and introduced a new generation of MMA and UFC fans, this is only the fourth time in its 32 seasons that a woman has appeared as a coach and in a leading role.
So Shevchenko (23-4-1, 15 completions) seized the opportunity to present a “vision of women’s martial arts” that reflects the power and strength of the most dangerous female martial artists, rather than projecting a mean masculinity.
“We can be powerful and strong, but we also have to bring beauty,” Shevchenko said. “We have to be like yin and yang.”
How that will play out on the show will only be learned by watching the matchup between Shevchenko and her team and Grasso and her team, comprised entirely of male fighters from the middleweight and featherweight divisions.
And since Shevchenko and Grasso are not staying in the “TUF” house with them, there is no guarantee that everything will be posh and beautiful.
Presumably those elements will carry over into a trilogy fight scheduled for later this year, as they look to settle the score after Grasso defeated Shevchenko by submission to reclaim the title last March and then fought them to a controversial draw in their rematch in September.
A date and venue have yet to be determined or announced, and Shevchenko didn’t offer any clarification on either front, but we can safely say that a fall date towards or after the end of this season’s episodes is likely the target.
This could coincide with the UFC’s debut at the Sphere in Las Vegas, with UFC CEO Dana White looking forward to bringing UFC 306 to the venue in September.
Shevchenko had expressed reluctance to fight on the card because it was considered themed around Mexico’s Independence Day weekend. Their previous bout centered around Mexico’s Grasso, but Shevchenko, who is from Kyrgyzstan, felt that gave his opponent a big advantage in a competitive bout.
However, Shevchenko is now working under the idea of staging another Mexican-themed event and is open to competing at the Sphere.
“From what I understand, it’s not Noche UFC, it’s UFC 306, so it’s not Mexican Independence Day,” Shevchenko explained. “It’s a different date and it’s focused on the Sphere itself. It’s close, but not that close. It’s a different location, time and date.”
It will likely be Shevchenko’s final chance to reclaim the championship she successfully defended seven times before facing the daunting task of Grasso (16-3-1, six titles).
Let’s just hope that this time the former Muay Thai fighter is at, or close to, 100% when the bout begins.
“No matter where or how I fight, I’m ready to fight,” Shevchenko declared. “In my last fight, I fought all five rounds with a broken hand. No matter what happens, I’m going to fight with one hand and one leg.”
And she is more focused than ever on getting rid of the referees altogether and securing the victory for herself, after one of the judges gave it a stunning 10-8 score in favor of Grasso in the final round, turning what should have been a split decision win for Shevchenko into a split draw.
Stopping the top woman in this division is never easy, especially since Grasso’s only previous defeat was by submission at this distance six years ago, but Shevchenko is determined to make it happen this time.
“It’s certainly difficult, but nothing is impossible,” Shevchenko said. “During this training camp, we will be focusing on finishing, especially different types of finishing.”
