Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia Staff Predictions
In the UFC 255 co-main event long-time flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko is set to square off against Brazilian submission specialist Jennifer Maia. Who’ll win? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA team thinks…
Jordan Ellis: Valentina Shevchenko all day! I think it’s almost impossible to make a case for anyone in the UFC flyweight division beating this woman right now. The Ukrainian striker is just on another level to her opposition. Jennifer Maia is a huge and justified underdog in this fight. In my opinion it’d be a victory if she simply makes it to the final bell – but I don’t think that will happen. Shevchenko by knockout!
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
Alex Lough: Jennifer Maia has gotten to where she is by being good at everything. That’s not going to be enough against Valentina. Not to take anything away from Maia; though she’s only 3-2 in the UFC, she has picked up wins over some of the biggest names in the division going back to her Invicta days and deserves to be in the spot she is. But if anyone is going to beat Valentina – and I don’t think they will – they’re going to have to be crazy good at one thing and hope they manage to catch her with it. Maia just doesn’t have that in her arsenal. She’s as tough as a $2 steak though, and might even steal a round on the way to the final bell, but I expect it to be all Shevchenko the rest of the fight. Valentina by UD.
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
Karim Nathan: For the co main I just cant pick against Valentina she is so dominant and even though Maia is a good fighter and she showed it in her last fight, I don’t think she has enough to pull off the upset. The women’s flyweight might be the shallowest division in the UFC right now and I can just see Valentina stopping one contender after the other. I feel like we might not see a stoppage in this one though but Valentina wins a dominant decision.
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
Ryan MacCarthy: No one in her division is even close to Valentina. Valentina Shevchenko is going to mess up Jennifer Maia and light her up like a Christmas tree. This has the potential to be a straight-up massacre. Valentina is just too dominant of a champion. I feel like Jennifer Maia is tough and durable, but that only gets you so far. I feel like the only thing Valentina needs to watch out for is the ground game. Her striking is just too solid and dominant, she doesn’t even have to go to the ground most of the time. Valentina will this in the first 2 rounds by KO. It will be a dominant clinic of a performance.
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
Lewis Dunn: Shevchenko will be looking to add another defense to her flyweight title, and I think she will get it. I do not think there is anyone in the women’s flyweight division that is even close to Shevchenko’s level. And she has shown this over her three previous title defenses, with two coming by stoppage. The former Invicta FC champion Maia will look to cause an upset, but the chances of this are not likely. So far during her UFC career she hasn’t showed anything that convinces me she can beat Shevchenko. I’m going with Shevchenko on this one, she is simply better than her opponent and if she performs even close to how she has in her previous title defenses, I think we will see Maia get finished pretty early on. My prediction Shevchenko by TKO round 2.
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
Abhinav Kini: There’s not much to say about this fight. Shevchenko is a level above everyone in the division and Maia will be no different. She will try and take her down and in all likelihood fail. I see this being a comfortable decision for the champion.
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
