A vital rematch six months in the making. Valentina Shevchenko returns to the octagon this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 227, better known by the title Noche UFC.
The promotion re-enters Nevada’s T-Mobile Arena for a night of brutal action in celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day. The card is headlined by a Women’s Flyweight title bout between challenger Shevchenko and belt holder Alexa Grasso.
The pairing first met at UFC 285 back in March, where Grasso grapsed the title from ‘Bullet‘s clutches with a fourth round submission. The Kyrgyz will undoubtedly be looking to exact revenge on her former foe this weekend.
Here we look at the career of Valentina Shevchenko to-date, as well as how Saturday’s bout could potentially match up.
Career To-Date
Kyrgyzstan’s immense natural beauty acted as a picturesque backdrop for Shevchenko’s early journey into martial arts.
‘Bullet‘s introduction to sport was inspired by her mother and sister’s participation in taekwondo. These lessons at the age of five would begin to craft her current skillset. She would also take up Muay Thai and Vale Tudo throughout the next decade.
Amateur and professional Muay Thai competiton would take Shevchenko around Peru, Thailand, Korea, China and several European countries. She earned over 500 amateur wins across several disciplines, overcoming future UFC Strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk on three occasions.
Shevchenko made her professional MMA debut during this period at just 15-years-old. The at-the-time prospect won five of her first six fights via first round knockout, but would take a four-year hiatus to focus on kickboxing and Muay Thai.
It didn’t take long for Shevchenko to get international recognition from the MMA community upon her return in 2010. Two knockouts in Fusion FC would earn her a contract with American-based promotion Legacy FC.
Following a singular victory, the Kyrgyz was subsequently called up to the UFC. In her first three years, she put together a record of 4-2 under the promotion banner, with both her losses coming to future G.W.O.A.T contender Amanda Nunes.
Shevchenko didn’t allow an inconsistent start to UFC life deter her, however. A second round rear-naked choke victory over Priscila Cachoeira would mark the beginning of an unbeaten streak spanning over four years.
During this run, the now-35-year-old earned wins against the likes of Jędrzejczyk, Jéssica Andrade, Lauren Murphy and Talia Santos. Shevchenko’s win over Jędrzejczyk would see her earn Flyweight champion status, a belt she would defend seven times. This form would come to a halt back in March, as her upcoming opponent Grasso submitted her in the fourth round.
Valentina Shevchenko Fighting Style
Shevchenko’s overall fighting IQ is largely unmatched throughout the history of the women’s flyweight division.
The Kyrgyz’s southpaw stance often acts as a main catalyst for her world-class striking. She targets her opponents with body kicks, sapping their gas tank as the fight progresses.
Once her octagon counterparts begin to expect the body shot, she advances her kickboxing one step further, aiming for their unsuspecting head. This was evident in her second round knockout victory of Jessica Eye back in 2019.
Shevchenko’s counter striking ability also plays a significant role in her success. The 35-year-old’s rapid movement and return shots have made her opponents’ reluctant to engage on a multitude of occasions. Her Muay Thai intelligence allows her to catch opponents’ kicks and answer with takedowns and strikes of her own, as we’ve seen against Jędrzejczyk and Chookagian.
‘Bullet‘ remains one of the best clinch artists in the sport. She often utilises octagon control and ducking hooks to advance into a clinch scenario. From here, she can connect with knees and strikes to her opponents’ torso, as well transition using overhooks and underhooks.
Shevchenko boasts a high striking accuracy compared to the division’s top contenders with 53%. This is superior to Manon Fiorot (39%), Grasso (43%), Santos (48%) and Andrade (50%).
The Kyrgyz’s defensive capabilities have allowed her to compete at an elite level for the best part of a decade. She absorbs just 1.99 significant strikes per minute on average, compared to Andrade (5.34), Grasso (4.07) and Erin Blanchfield (3.32).
Upcoming Fight vs. Grasso
Noche UFC’s main event will be Shevchenko’s first challenge for the belt since 2018. It is the 35-year-old’s 16th fight under the promotion banner across an 8-year competitive period.
She is entering Saturday’s bout as a clear -170 favourite, whereas Grasso is ranked as a +140 underdog. This may come as a slight surprise to some given the nature of the ending in the duo’s first fight, as well as the Mexcian’s rich run of form coming into the weekend.
Grasso has been signed to the UFC since 2016, putting together a record of 8-3 within the promotion. Her victory over Shevchenko last time out acted as her debut title fight, a finish which has been crowned by many as 2023’s ‘Submission of the Year’ so far.
The result was seen as one of the most prominent shock results in recent times. Shevchenko had consistently faced a higher quality of opposition, and there hadn’t been an extended period since Grasso had moved up from strawweight (following a few cases of missing weight).
As previously mentioned, Grasso absorbs a high number of significant strikes on average. Her SApM is over double Shevchenko’s, although no KO losses on her record indicates both a strong chin and a will to stand-and-trade.
Noche UFC‘s preliminary action kicks off at 12 a.m. on Sunday for UK enthusiasts, with the main card beginning at 3 a.m. Fans should prepare for an intriguing contest, and may be pleased to see a title fight on a non-PPV card.
Do you think Valentina Shevchenko will beat Alexa Grasso this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
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