Overview
- Shevchenko, posting Wednesday on X, told Paul to stop criticizing MMA "from a long distance" and dared him to enter the octagon, saying elite fighters would "wipe the floor" with him.
- Her response followed Paul’s recent podcast claim that the UFC is "dying" under Dana White and his take that grappling-heavy styles from stars like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev are "boring."
- Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions has scheduled its first MMA event for May 16 in Los Angeles, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
- Shevchenko holds the UFC women’s flyweight title and last fought at UFC 322 in November 2025, where she outpointed Zhang Weili over five rounds.
- Paul previously signed with the PFL in 2023 but never competed, and he has a running feud with White over the UFC’s business model and fighter pay.