Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Antonina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan celebrates her TKO victory over Ariane Lipski of Brazil in their women’s flyweight bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Antonina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan celebrates her TKO victory over Ariane Lipski of Brazil in their women’s flyweight bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
UFC flyweights Antonina Shevchenko and Casey O’Neill will go to war on the preliminary card for UFC Vegas 38. The fight card is headlined by light heavyweight marauders in Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker who are keen to steal the show. However, there are several fights up and down the card that are attention-grabbing, and Shevchenko vs O’Neill is one of them.
The women’s 125-pound division is bustling with activity and a major reason for that is the presence of an active champion like Valentina Shevchenko. It’s evident that her sister, Antonina Shevchenko draws inspiration from ‘The Bullet’. Moreover, she will be keen to make her mark and surge her way up the division with authority.
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UFC Vegas 38: Antonina Shevchenko vs Casey O’Neill
‘La Pantera’ is 2-3 in her last five fights and is coming off a loss to Andrea Lee via Triangle Armbar in her last contest. Despite the series of inconsistent performances, Shevchenko has shown flashes of brilliance inside the cage. The 9-3 fighter out of Kyrgyzstan will need to defeat the undefeated O’Neill in order to remain a player in the division.
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (R-L) Antonina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan kicks Ariane Lipski of Brazil in their women’s flyweight bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Antonina Shevchenko is a range-based kickboxer and some of her entries are second to none. She displayed some emphatic striking in her bout against Ariane Lipski and she’ll want to channel a similar game plan against Casey O’Neill.
As mentioned earlier, Casey O’Neill is undefeated as a professional with her overall record standing tall at 7-0. She has finished both of her UFC opponents and her most recent win came via RNC submission back in June. Securing a finish over Antonina Shevchenko would be a major marker in her career and would put her on the map.
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Casey ‘King’ is as dynamic as they come and she never hesitates to force the issue onto her opponent. Moreover, she’s comfortable trading leather in close range and is quick to chase the neck once the fight hits the ground. She would have to be wary of Shevchenko’s distance strikes that play a major role in slowing down opponents.
Prediction: Antonina Shevchenko to claim a second-round TKO Win
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