"There's a way to beat her, of course there is" - Chael Sonnen details how fighters should approach Valentina Shevchenko matchup
Chael Sonnen is shutting down talk of Valentina Shevchenko being unbeatable by detailing how her opponents could beat her. Since winning the women's flyweight title in 2018, 'Bullet' has dominated her way to six successful title defenses.
All hail the P4P Queen 👸
[ @BulletValentina | #UFC275 | Saturday | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3PwHI7y ] https://t.co/84N2rPsx1L
Shevchenko's next title challenger will be the No.4-ranked Taila Santos at UFC 275 on June 11. The Brazilian is on a four-fight win streak and has a path to victory through her well-rounded fighting style.
Despite being a dangerous fighter, not many people are giving Santos a shot at winning, including the oddsmakers who put her as a 5-1 underdog. With that said, Sonnen believes there is a path to victory for the title challenger.
During a segment on his YouTube channel, the former UFC fighter-turned-analyst had this to say about being Shevchenko:
"How do you beat the bullet? Well, there's a way to beat her, of course, there is. Everybody can lose. Every dog has their day. The bullet is as close to a perfect fighter as I've ever seen... You don't have to be better than her if you can get her tired. You don't have to be better than her if you can out position her... So, there are ways to beat the bullet, and you don't have to be better than her to do it."
The only person to beat Shevchenko in the UFC was Amanda Nunes, who did it twice at bantamweight. If Santos wants to come out victorious, she needs to attack the champion early and often before losing control of the pace.
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos below:
Chael Sonnen emphasizes the fact that "the better fighter loses all the time"
Shevchenko has to be one of the toughest fighters to beat on paper. With that said, fighters with betting odds favored their way lose very often. During the same YouTube segment, Sonnen stressed how anyone can lose:
"People lose fights all the time. The better person loses all the time, happens every single Saturday... The better fighter loses all the time. He gets tired, he gets nervous, he gets out positioned, he gets frustrated, it's rinse and repeat."
Anything can happen when Shevchenko and Santos step into the cage at UFC 275. Think back to when Matt Serra beat Georges St-Pierre. No one gave him a chance to upset the champion. 'Bullet' is understandably a massive betting favorite, but giving the Brazilian no chance could be a mistake.
The P4P Queen takes on the division’s top prospect 🤜🤛
@BulletValentina vs @TailaSa60780340
[ #UFC275 | Saturday | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3PwHI7y ] https://t.co/mK3zTKIFpJ