Valentina Shevchenko has the Anderson Silva effect - Anthony Smith believes opponents get mentally beaten before facing 'Bullet' 

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Anthony Smith (left), Valentina Shevchenko (top right), Anderson Silva (bottom right) [Images courtesy of Getty]

Anthony Smith recently compared Valentina Shevchenko to Anderson Silva ahead of UFC 275.

'Lionheart' believes 'Bullet' has the same aura of invincibility around her that 'The Spider' once possessed. Smith further added that the aura surrounding Shevchenko makes her opponents lose the fight before they even enter the cage.

While speaking on ESPN MMA, the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger stated:

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"I truly believe we can talk X's and O's all night long. When it comes to the difference maker in this fight, it's not the technical ability, it's not the physicality. It's the mental aspect of the game. I think that Valentina Shevchenko has a little bit of that Anderson Silva effect where I think people are beaten by her before thet get in there. They see the same things that I see. I watch her fight, I can't find a hole in Valentina Shevchenko's game. I can't find a place where anybody can take advantage of anything. If I am seeing that, I know that her opponents are seeing the same thing."

While Smith mentioned that it's hard to find a hole in Shevchenko's game, he acknowledged that Taila Santos has exceptional skills. The challenger is a great Thai boxer with counter-punching ability. However, 'Lionheart' notes that Santos will have to draw the champion to her shots if she is to win this weekend in Singapore. He added:

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"Taila Santos is a fantastic Thai boxer. Her counter punching is incredible. I love watching her fight. But she has to get in there and she gotta make Valentina come at her so she can get those counters off in the clinch."

Watch Anthony Smith and Din Thomas break down Taila Santos' chances against Valentina Shevchenko:

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Valentina Shevchenko is looking to make her seventh successful title defense against Taila Santos

Shevchenko defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 to win the UFC women's flyweight title. She has already defended the title six times since, with her latest win coming at UFC 266 against Lauren Murphy.

She will look to extend her streak as she takes on Taila Santos in the co-main event of UFC 275 this weekend. Santos is currently on a four-fight winning run and possesses a professional record of 19-1 at the moment.

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Apart from Shevcheno vs. Santos, Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka is another title fight on the card. The main card at UFC 275 will also see a rematch between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili. Their first fight in 2020 is generally regarded as the greatest-ever women's bout in MMA history.

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