HOUSTON – Katlyn Chookagian thinks a large reason UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has been able to dominate is because her opponents lost before the fight even started.
Chookagian (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) challenges Shevchenko (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 247, and like everyone else who has fought Shevchenko at 125 pounds, she will enter as a big betting underdog.
Shevchenko has been near flawless since moving down from bantamweight, and Chookagian thinks the biggest issue is that fighters have been lured into Shevchenko’s aura of invincibility, causing them to falter.
“When I’ve watched her fights when they were actually happening, I didn’t notice. But going back and when this fight got definitely signed, I was watching those fights and kind of noticed the demeanor in some of the opponents fights compared to when they fight other people, and they did really well, but I think they went into the fight just trying to get through the fight and not really to win,” Chookagian said at the UFC 247 athlete panel held Wednesday.
“To get through a fight and to win is a totally different mindset, and I think some of them definitely went into it a little defeated before and just trying to perform as good as they can, but a little bit safe and trying to be careful but not necessarily go in there full, 100 percent confident that they can win.”
Shevchenko’s head kick knockout over Jessica Eye at UFC 238 might have sent a message to the rest of the division, but Chookagian is looking at the bigger picture.
The champ has gone the distance four times in her UFC career, giving Chookagian a lot of tape to study.
“Valentina is definitely very good, and that’s why she’s a champ for a reason, and that’s why everyone knows who she is, but I think when she had her amazing head-kick knockout, everyone saw that and said she’s such a killer. And she is very good, but most of her fights were decisions, which makes it great for me because there’s a lot of rounds to study.
“She’s had a lot of five-round decision fights, so more tape for me to study and look and see how she does against different opponents, but I think when a fighter has a crazy knockout, they always expect that for the next fight. But you got to look at not just the highlight reel but the whole fight.”
UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Katlyn Chookagian thinks some of Valentina Shevchenko's opponents lost before even fighting her
