Valentina Shevchenko knows betting odds do not determine outcomes of fights


Valentina Shevchenko knows betting odds do not determine outcomes of fights
Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko” is the reigning, defending flyweight champion and now the 18-to-1 favourite, according to the odd makers, going into her bout on Saturday with the challenger “Jennifer Maia”.

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Being the betting favourite is not exactly a new thing for the champ as she has been the favourite by a landslide, since she became the champ, in all of her flyweight fights. However, the Champ does it let it get to her head, she believes she will win but odds do not determine the outcome fights. Always stay classy, Valentina.

Shevchenko vs Jennifer Maia

Leading up to her fights, Shevchenko tends to talk more about her potential super fight with strawweight champion “Zhang Weili” or the inevitable trilogy match against “Amanda Nunes”. She does not care about what the odd makers say or who the betting favourite is, that does not concern her. She, in her own words, knows how tough it was to get this belt and nothing will make her lose her focus.

Her opponent this saturday is “Jennifer Maia” who has a record of 3-2 in the UFC and the fighters Maia lost to, Shevchenko absolutely dominated. So, it comes as no shocker that she is the favorite, she has almost always been but the champ will not let that fact waver her focus “Because it is MMA”.

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My experience taught me what kind of person I have to be to maintain my status as champion: Shevchenko

Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko

Shevchenko told MMA Fighting “I’m in this sport for such a long time. I competed in different martial arts. I know how things happen. I know how things work. It’s like sometimes when people are just having two years competing, they don’t know what’s going to happen or they’re going to stay champion forever. This does not happen. This is the life.

You have real opponents. You have a real person who wants to beat you. That’s why you have your head very cold in making decisions. Not having your head in the clouds flying over the Earth. You have to be realistic and understand how things are working. My experience in martial arts taught me how I have to be. What kind of person I have to be to maintain my status as champion.”

Originally, it was “Joanne Calderwood” who was supposed to fight the champ eariler this year. However, Valentina had to pull out of the fight as she had to undergo a leg surgey. Instead of waiting for the champ, Calderwood decided to stay active and she fought Maia whom she lost to via submission in the first round. Now, it was Maia who is getting a shot at the title.

When asked about what she thought of her new challenge, Valentina praising Maia said “She is a former Invicta champion. She fought a lot and she’s preparing as good as she can. I think it’s going to be a good fight, she’s a good opponent. It was a good fight with Jojo, she had her chance for the armbar and she never let it go. It’s good. This is what fighters have to do, never let the opportunity go.”

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When asked how she thought the fight would go, the champ expressed that she thought it is going to be a great fight. Though she believes Maia prefers striking but that does not rule out the possibility of Jennifer clinching or wrestling. She is excited about the fight.

MMA is not like other sports and math is not exactly reliable. Ronda was supposed to dominate Holly, we all know how that went. What do you guys think? Will the champ retain her belt or will there be a massive upset in the flyweight division?

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