Women’s flyweight contenders Antonina “Pantera” Shevchenko 8-1, 2 KOs, 1 SUB and Katlyn Chookagian 13-3, 2 KOs, 1 SUB will meet at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, May 30 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card streams live on ESPN+.
Could we see a scenario where two siblings stand atop a UFC division? That could be the case at women’s flyweight, where Valentina Shevchenko rules with an iron fist. This Saturday, her sister Antonina is fighting Valentina’s last opponent - No. 2 ranked Katlyn Chookagian. Though Jessica Eye is the No. 1 contender, that could change really quick in a young weight class.
There’s no way the Shevchenko sisters would ever fight each other, but I got to admit it’d be compelling to see a situation where they clean out the division and there is literally no other fight to make for the champ. Valentina ain’t going anywhere - she’s the most dominant champ in the UFC and miles ahead of the rest of the weight class.
The elder Shevchenko has pulled together a 2-1 record inside the octagon, with wins over Ji Yeon Kim and Lucie Pudilova sandwiched around a loss two Roxanne Modafferi. She still hasn’t reached her peak as an MMA fighter, and in the razor thin flyweight division she could rise very, very quickly.
Case in point: Chookagian rode a two-fight winning streak into a title fight. She was beaten pillar to post and finished early in the third. The 31-year old is a tough girl, but “Blonde Fighter” really wasn’t much more than a stay busy fight for the champ. Perhaps she can get some payback by beating another Shevchenko.
Let’s take a look at the UFC picks at BookMaker.eu and break down your best online betting odds. Live UFC betting at BookMaker Sportsbook is available during the fight.
Antonina Shevchenko -148
Katlyn Chookagian +118
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -550 / +379
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Shevchenko 4.9 / Chookagian 4.11
Striking accuracy: Shevchenko 57% / Chookagian 32%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Shevchenko 1.92 / Chookagian 4.49
Striking defense: Shevchenko 65% / Chookagian 63%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Shevchenko 0.67 / Chookagian 0
Takedown accuracy: Shevchenko 100% / Chookagian 0 %
Takedown defense: Shevchenko 58% / Chookagian 50%
Submission average: Shevchenko 1 / Chookagian 0.1
Like her younger sister, Antonina Shevchenko is a pure kickboxer with lethal standup. She lands at a high rate and takes care defensively, to the tune of five significant strikes landed per minute vs. two strikes absorbed. While she is a solid athlete, Antonina lacks the physicality and overall MMA skills of her sister - especially when it comes to grappling. A strong wrestler would give her problems, but that’s not something she’ll have to worry about in this matchup.
Chookagian isn’t an exciting fighter, but she’s generally solid. She has yet to attempt a takedown in the UFC, relying on a high output, low power standup game. There is a lot of discipline and patience in her approach, which puts her on a level above the low-tier swarmers in the women’s divisions. It’s a shame that Chookagian is such a poor athlete, which puts a hard cap on her potential.
The good news for Katlyn is that the elder Shevchenko is far more beatable than her sister. This is going to be a standup battle between two capable volume strikers - a good thing for the fans.
Shevchenko is the crisper, more technical kickboxer here. On top of that, she is clearly the better athlete of the two - Chookagian will not be able to initiate the type of ugly clinch battle needed to pull out the victory. In this matchup, take Shevchenko to win by decision, as she’s finished just three opponents in eight career victories. Chookagian has only been stopped once.
