Valentina Shevchenko vs Taila Santos Prediction: Unstoppable Shevchenko

Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko will be defending her UFC Flyweight title for the 7th time in this championship bout against Brazilian Taila Santos. For Santos, the fight is a title shot but for the champion, it is an opportunity to write her name into the history books as the greatest female fighter.

Bullet has been fighting professionally since she was 15. She has fought in several promotions and weight classes. A boxer and kickboxer, she is a warrior. At Flyweight (125-pounds) she is genuinely unbeatable. With her kickboxing skills, she is famous for her pin-point counter strikes, basing her accuracy on the uncanny ability to measure the distance of an opponent's punches or strikes and retaliating with deadly counters. Her counters usually involve a fast right hook and spinning wheel kicks or back fist. Not only is Bullet at home while standing, but she is also a grappler and wrestler.

A Performance of the Night award in her last fight against Joanne Wood at UFO Fight Night 198 heralded a 4th win on the bounce for the 28-year-old Brazilian and set up this championship fight against the No.1 UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings. Santos has been fighting since she was a youngster in Brazil. In 203 when she turned professional, she ended 10 straight contests in round one. Santos is a tough striker and decent wrestler. Her rear-naked choke submission of Wood in her last fight was a beauty and credential of her ability.

Shevchenko has defeated many of the biggest names in women’s UFC. While she may not be too worried about the Brazilian upstart, expect a tough contest in the opening rounds but we see no way Santos will survive the five rounds. Although Santos, is on a winning run, none of the fighters she dispatched posed the kind of challenge she faces in the champion, Valentina Shevchenko. On the basis that a win for Bullet is assured we predict a total under 3.5 at 2.16 odds.

• Total Under 3.5 for 2.20
• W1 for 1.12
• Fight to go the distance No for 1.70

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