Jessica Eye will be Valentina Shevchenko’s first challenger for the UFC women’s flyweight title. Eye will be the betting underdog heading into her fight against “The Bullet,” but don’t count “Evil” out just yet. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Eye said she believes she has found some flaws in the 125-pound champ’s game:
“We all know Valentina is an incredible muay-Thai specialist,” Eye said. “We know she loves to kick, we know she loves spinning techniques. We’ve seen her grind people up against the cage, we’ve seen her on the ground, we’ve seen her finish someone on the ground.
“She’s very versatile in that way. She brings years of experience to it. The difference between me and her if I’ve taken my weaknesses and made them my strengths where she has just taken her strengths and tried to make them stronger and she doesn’t take what she’s not good at and make it stronger.
“One of her biggest weaknesses is her ability to adjust to the fighter she’s fighting and be able to do something different. I think being versatile and being a true martial artists wins this flyweight title and keeps me champion for a really long time.”
Shevchenko is currently on a two-fight win streak. In her last fight, she bested ex-115-pound champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision. The victory earned her the vacant flyweight title. Now, she prepares to make the first title defense of her UFC championship career.
She’ll face Eye, who has been on a roll in the flyweight division with three-straight wins. Those victories came against names like Kalindra Faria, Jessica-Rose Clark, and Katlyn Chookagian. Now, the 32-year-old fighting veteran hopes to win the first belt of her UFC career.
What do you make of Eye’s comments ahead of her fight with Shevchenko? Who are you picking in the title fight?
