Two Tigers Set to Clash at Madison Square Garden
Valentina Shevchenko is set to face Zhang Weili at UFC 322. The two fighters are going for the belt in the Women’s Flyweight Division. Shevchenko is heavier than her opponent, which could be the determining factor in winning her the title. Weili, though, has equal ground in her takedown defense and could use the ground as a place to upset the rhythm of this fight. Currently, both fighters have impressive feats in their careers. Their accomplishments include a winning streak over their last five fights. Weili has experience in achieving the most strikes per minute as well as maintaining dominant positions, which led to her decision fights being unanimous. Shevchenko, though, has come close and mainly accumulated three wins and two draws in her past five fights. Part of that result is to be expected, too, because of the level of talent that the Flyweight title holds. Valentina even secured unanimous decisions in her last two fights.
The fight will ultimately evolve from a standing fight to a ground and pound if the “Bullet” detects she is not landing as many strikes as Weili. Her takedown accuracy is higher and would be best if she attempted to use her weight as an advantage. The takedown defense will evolve here as the fighter nicknamed “Magnum” will have to fight back to a dominant position. This would be a repeat of her fight against Carla Esparza, where she secured a rear-naked choke to win by submission. However, maintaining the dominant position while landing critical strikes to the face and sides of Shevchenko would be in her best interest.
The 37-year-old Kyrgyzstani should capitalize on these moments by securing an armbar or even a reverse triangle. This is because the Chinese fighter will ultimately throw more strikes on the ground, leaving an opportunity to secure an arm, and her defense will be vulnerable. Valentina is the current titleholder, and avoiding those significant strikes from Weili, standing or on the ground, is what she holds over Zhang. This fight will likely be primarily a standing event where Valentina dodges the elbows and punches that Weili will favor to exhaust the defending title holder. Regardless, if Zhang proceeds to grab the title, it will be similar in victory to the grappling queen of UFC, Mackenzie Dern’s win over Virna Jandiroba. So come tune in to watch UFC 322 and the battle of the Flyweights!
