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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC by means of Getty Images.
Phil and David break down whatever you need to learn about Shevchenko vs. Maia for UFC 255, and whatever you don’t about Halle Berry’s next motion picture starring Valentina Shevchenko. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia this November 21, 2020 at ‘UFC 255 – ‘FIGUEIREDO VS PEREZ’, from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
One sentence summary.
David: Bruised, starring Jennifer Maia rather of Halle Berry.
Phil: It’s that Andrade-Shevchenko fight that individuals have been requesting simply, like … even worse …?
Stats.
Record: Valentina Shevchenko 19 -3 Jennifer Maia 18 -6 -1 Draw.
Chances: Valentina Shevchenko -1375 Jennifer Maia 900
History/ Introduction to the fighters.
David: Shevchenko is entering that part of her career that every UFC champion appears to experience when they dominate for an extended duration: discovering extra earnings in other places. Is Shevchenko playing Halle’s adopted daughter, and this is how they’re gon na settle their distinctions? Possibly like in the movies, Maia will also find out crucial life lessons after getting destroyed by Shevchenko.
Phil: I am actually travelling at the moment therefore am struggling to write this on a mobile phone while on a hydrofoil which is zipping through the surprisingly choppy waters of the Saronic Gulf. Soviet Army Voskhods were produced lakes, not the ocean blue! On that a little Bond bad guy note, nevertheless, it’s hard to see Valentina’s movie career reaching the excessive heights of Gina Carano’s, who is presently informing the broader world on how good MMA people are at the whole “brain thinking” thing. Val is most likely to be restricted to Rousey’s ‘scowling challenger’ role, just with a frightening eastern European edge. I hope she dances on movie though, so I can gif it and utilize it to torture people.
David: Maia has actually been a pillar in the department, winning some, and losing some. That’s just sufficient for a flyweight department that has actually been cleared out. Maia does not use anything unique, but she’s a solid blood and guts fighter who managed a modest upset over Joanne Calderwood, and now here she is. To Maia’s credit, she seems knowledgeable about her tactical restrictions. It’s still tough to believe that a 3-2 fighter who missed weight twice, and got suspended for tainted supplements several moons earlier is here at the top.
Phil: Riding an unbelievable (checks tapology … yikes) one battle winning streak, Maia essentially fulfils the role of warm body for Shevchenko to design on. The plus side is that she’s fairly enjoyable to see, as a blood n guys fighter and submission gamer.
What’s at stake?
David: Would a Maia win be bigger than GSP vs. Serra? That’s constantly been the gold standard for improbably upsets, however I believe this may beat even that.
Val and these fights do represent something important for the UFC though: satisfied legal commitments. With Nunes going over retirement, Shevchenko can set a workmanlike pace of title defenses against no-hopers, which can be used on (dreadful) PPVs to fulfil the UFCs requirements for title fights.
David: I can see why Shevchenko irritates experts. ‘Unwillingness’ is not a trait we’re used to using to describe an elite fighter. I believe it’s since she actually straddles that line in between being client and persisting. Between being determined, and being tired. I’m not so snobbish as to pretend I don’t find specific fighters exciting versus boring. I would happily describe men like Jake Shields and Tarec Saffiedine as ‘boring’. But I do value Shevchenko for precisely that factor: since she walks that tightrope. I get the sense that she’s willing to journey into more action, but her opponents simply do not require her to. I think it’s telling that when she was forced to adjust, she did. It was too little too late against Amanda Nunes, but I discover any such criticism an extreme underselling of how subtle Nunes’ attacks were against Valentina. Therefore for this battle, I expect ‘vintage’ Shevchenko: she’ll stand beyond the punch border, counter combination strike with her 1-2 lead leg kick, and score the easy takedown when Maia remains in her face. Regardless of her reputation and signature spinning backfists, Shevchenko is not a diverse striker. Her counter mixes are so tidy, she never needs to pick up a different weapon. She simply requires to get the speed reloader on her single-action revolver. Shevchenko is what the Machida Period would have appeared like if Rogan’s remark wasn’t a punchline. Besides. Maia is no Shogun.
Phil: Watching Shevchenko versus Jedrzejczyk was uniquely aggravating, because it demonstrated how excellent she might be against somebody who was really proficient with approximate size and reach parity. Skillful variety control, countering kicks as well as almost anybody in Mixed Martial Arts, a rock strong clinch takedown and top video game … it’s just a pity we do not get to see these things more against opposition who can challenge her.
David: Maia’s strength is not really having any. Maia desires to get in close for punch combinations, and blend things up with either resets or takedowns. Shevchenko is not simply a bad matchup because Shevchenko is an elite fighter and Maia is not.
As pointed out previously, the primary thing to be grateful for is Maia’s aggression. Ref: Adesanya vs Costa, where combating ‘technical’ got Costa murked even worse than just holding back.
Insight from past fights.
David: Chookagian is the obvious point of reference, and for great reason. Chookagian was able to capture Maia with clean mixes since Maia’s footwork backing out was so minimal. Even typical punch entries were an issue. At one point Chookagian catches Maia with among the slowest left hooks you’ll ever see. Maia isn’t a bad fighter, however she resembles a lot of run of the mill pressure fighters: when they fight with defense, they can either work harder to safeguard less, or work hard to discover defense. If Maia can do a few of the important things Nunes did, and eat up space with feints and footwork, perhaps she can Land a Huge One, however this is well beyond Maia’s talents, and the only factor I discussed Nunes at all is to pad word length.
Phil: This one is definitely inevitable. It’s tough to think about a more damning defend a title opposition truly: it’s recent, it’s stylistically comparable, but on a far lower level, and Maia lost.
X-Factors.
David: Type of a lot. Is Shevchenko ready after her big starring role? Will Maia finally make weight?
Phil: How big Jennifer Maia would have to be in order for me to favour her in this fight is a fascinating question in and of itself …?
Prognostication.
David: This battle is quite obvious. Maia is so stationery I truthfully seem like she’s gon na get iced in theatrical style. While it’s not Shevchenko’s design to score a fast KO, I can’t see Maia preventing a huge counter head kick, or counter-anything actually. Valentina Shevchenko by KO, round 1.
Phil: I am going to ideally co-sign, and pray that the risk-reward and large skill differential do not consign us to Val-Carmouche. I’ve seen that fight two times now! Valentina Shevchenko by TKO, round 1.