Women’s Flyweights
Ji Yeon Kim (8-1-2) vs. Antonina Shevchenko (6-0)Advertisement
It is difficult to talk about the debuting Shevchenko without comparing her to her sister, but despite being the lesser of the two, she is still a prospect to watch. She is already 34, but there is a lot to like, particularly from her muay Thai game. She is the taller and longer Shevchenko, so she has the capability of fighting at a longer range, which has served her well against competition so far. While she does not have the underrated wrestling game of her sister, she has shown enough skill to show that she is not a pure kickboxer who is clueless on the ground. Half of Shevchenko’s six fights took place over a decade ago, so she is still quite raw as a fighter, but the UFC seems ready to push her up the ranks. She initially drew the ranked Ashlee Evans-Smith as a first opponent, but with Evans-Smith out, she now faces Kim.
Kim has quietly won both of her fights in the UFC’s fledgling women’s flyweight division, but there is still a sense that she is figuring things out. Kim tends to fall in love with her power, and the calculus on that has not quite worked out thus far. A lot of Kim's fights have seen her plant and throw heat, but she still does not hit all that hard and just seems to absorb punishment in the process. Still, Kim’s athleticism and aggression have managed to carry her on the scorecards, and she is still young enough in her career to take another jump. Thankfully, her positive results thus far have given her enough slack to stick on the roster as she tries to evolve.
This one has split decision written all over it. For not having quite the same level of strengths as her sister, Shevchenko has one of the same weaknesses, namely an ability to get too patient and allow her opponent into a slow kickboxing match. If that happens, Kim figures to be the more aggressive fighter, as well as the one throwing the harder punches. In that scenario, it comes down to that eternal question in every narrow fight: accuracy versus aggression. Shevchenko should hopefully have enough technical chops to distance herself here and earn a decision.
Last Fights » The Prelims
Related Articles
