Ahead of UFC Macau, Chinese flyweight star Wang Cong isn’t pulling any punches.
Cong (9-1) isn’t actually fighting in Macau next weekend; rather, she’s paired up with Tracy Cortez at UFC 329 in July as part of International Fight Week. Cong, however, was apparently supposed to take part in a Q&A alongside Valentina Shevchenko in Macau this week— only for Shevchenko to withdraw from the appearance.
The pair have history, with Cong defeating Shevchenko in kickboxing back in 2015, before either had joined the UFC (and well before Cong transitioned to mixed martial arts period).
On Monday, Cong put Shevchenko on blast for pulling out of the Q&A, while adding that the two-time UFC women’s flyweight champion was “box office poison.”
“Valentina and I were originally scheduled to appear together at the UFC Macau fan Q&A. However, she submitted a request to UFC to opt out of the joint appearance, refusing to share the stage with me,” Cong wrote on social media. “As my defeated opponent, it’s clear she’s afraid I’ll expose the truth behind her lies. She’s a sore loser with no class—nothing more than a compulsive liar who can’t handle defeat. Oh, and one more thing. I call her ‘Box Office Poison’, because boring fights are exactly what she’s good at.”
Shevchenko has not provided a reason for her withdrawal, nor has the UFC confirmed one. In kickboxing, Wang Cong represents Shevchenko’s final opponent. Following a decision loss to Cong at Kunlun Fight 33 on Halloween 2015, Shevchenko made her UFC debut, and never looked back. “Bullet” had been fighting in MMA since 2003 while juggling kickboxing, Muay Thai, and even boxing.
Cong would compete in kickboxing up until 2018, then make her MMA debut in 2022. She’s now won three straight in the women’s flyweight division, and would no doubt love another shot at Shevchenko, this time for UFC gold.