Actress Halle Berry was in attendance at the event and Shevchenko says her presence provided motivation during the title fight.
?I?m so happy that she came,? Shevchenko said on Eurobash (via Peter Carroll of MMA Fighting). ?It was one of the biggest motivations for me. Before the fight, she went to our changing rooms when I was warming up. She said, ?Best wishes,? and it was amazing. Yes, definitely, it was one of the reasons why I felt I had to finish the fight sooner.?
Berry is going to be starring in an MMA related film named ?Bruised? and Shevchenko has a role in the movie.
Shevchenko says that Berry is now a fighter after all the preparation she put forth for the upcoming film.
?You know, she is very good,? said Shevchenko. ?For this film she was preparing, and she was preparing for more than three years doing Muay Thai, MMA, boxing, every kind of martial arts. I can say from a professional point of view, she is in excellent shape, she is in good form...and yes, she is a fighter now. She is an actress and a fighter.?
There is no word yet on when Shevchenko will compete again, but she is still the only fighter to successfully defend the UFC Women?s Flyweight Championship.