Preview: UFC 262 Prelims

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Women’s Flyweights

#12 WFLW | Antonina Shevchenko (9-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. #11 WFLW | Andrea Lee (11-5, 3-3 UFC)

ODDS: Shevchenko (-125), Lee (+105)

Shevchenko’s last name is a double-edged sword. While it has surely opened some doors and gotten her some notice—including possibly her UFC shot—she also suffers greatly in any comparison to her younger sister. She is just as practiced in the art of muay Thai and has proven to be a solid striker in her own right, but overall, her game feels like her sister’s without any of the physical gifts that make the flyweight champion such a special fighter, particularly as a clinch artist and wrestler. Most of her recent fights have hinged on her opponent’s ability to wrestle and control the fight. Shevchenko handled Lucie Pudilova and Ariane Lipski without much issue, but Roxanne Modafferi and particularly Katlyn Chookagian found takedowns at will and were able to coast to victories. That makes for an interesting dynamic here against a fellow muay Thai artist. Lee is a much more physical fighter but has essentially wound up in the same place. She is a bit too slow as a striker to be a shocking knockout artist, so a lot of her fights come down to who gets the better of clinch and wrestling exchanges. That has led to a lot of close affairs and some particularly bad luck for Lee over the course of her last three fights. Bouts against Modafferi, Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy were all nip-tuck affairs that Lee had a case to win but wound up losing on the scorecards. Shevchenko might get the better of a pure striking match as the faster fighter, but this should wind up as an ugly affair against the cage sooner rather than later, and Lee’s physical advantages should see her through. Lee by close decision is the pick.

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