Valentina Shevchenko Vs. Kayla Harrison – How Does It Play Out?
UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has responded to bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison’s desire for a future fight.
Shevchenko is currently preoccupied with defending her flyweight title against former strawweight Champion Zhang Weili at UFC 322 on November 15. Valentina reclaimed the title by beating Alex Grasso in their trilogy fight at UFC 306 in September 2024 and defended it with a win against Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 in May. Meanwhile, Weili vacated her strawweight title to move up and challenge the “Bullet.”
Harrison recently secured the bantamweight title by defeating Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in June and immediately engaged in a stare-down with Amanda Nunes, who has expressed her desire to come out of retirement for that fight. Harrison has been pushing to appear on the UFC White House event on June 14 and even suggested a fight against the winner Shevchenko vs. Weili. However, Valentina’s main focus is on Weili.
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Shevchenko Reacts
“I heard she brought some other names as well. he called Amanda, right? She called Ronda (Rousey), and from all three names, it’s only one name that’s still an active fighter. The other ones are like eight years retired, four years retired. Kayla is a very good fighter, very good athlete, very physically strong, and definitely it’s going to be a great fight.
“But I’m not looking past my fight. For a long time, (Nunes) was the only reason why I would return to 135. It was just one name, unfinished business what I had with Amanda. When she retired, I lost interest for that, and now, let’s see. The rumor is that she’s un-retired, but let’s see if it’s a reality,” Shevchenko said
The Approach
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Shevchenko’s path to victory lies in her Muay Thai precision, lateral movement, and defensive wrestling. Shevchenko must use a constant barrage of feints, oblique kicks, and sidekicks to manage the distance and disrupt Harrison’s entries. Shevchenko’s takedown defense, which is famously high, will be tested to the absolute limit. She must dedicate significant energy to sprawling and defending the clinch, ensuring she never allows Harrison to establish the dominant body lock.
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Harrison’s strategy will be to utilize her superior physical size, strength, and Olympic-level Judo expertise. Her primary tactical objective is to make the fight an immediate grappling contest. Harrison will use relentless forward pressure and feints to close the distance, aiming to secure the clinch as quickly as possible. Once she locks hands, she will prioritize executing powerful Judo throws or trips to ground the Flyweight Champion. Harrison’s strength on the mat is overwhelming top control and punishing ground-and-pound.
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