Point of interest: Grappling initiations
With both fighters carrying solid ground games in their back pockets, I will be curious to see who looks to initiate grappling exchanges first.
Shevchenko has a knack for hitting takedowns in a countering fashion that may come to light given her current counterpart’s approach, but I could also see Chookagian exercising her steadily-improving wrestling shots in an effort to get the jump on the champion.
Utilizing her previously-mentioned head movement, Chookagain does a good job of rolling her head off her crosses as she parlays the level-change into a decent double-leg that could score her some points. But if she fails to take Shevchenko off of her feet, then I suspect the majority of Chookagian’s initial grappling efforts will take her into her opponent’s wheelhouse of the clinch.
No longer underrated inside of the clinch, Shevchenko possesses all the tools you would expect from a muay Thai practitioner. Not only does the Kyrgyzstani wield mean elbows off the break, but she also does deceptive work to the body with knees, something that could pay dividends in a five-round affair.
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Although many high-level strikers have failed to develop grappling games in MMA, I think that fighters who come from traditional muay Thai backgrounds bring an aspect of grappling that is typically understated. A devastating striking art with an often-overlooked emphasis on clinch wrestling, Shevchenko embraced and excelled in the grappling aspects of muay Thai, which in turn granted her success while competing in that sport (as well as this one).
Still, Shevchenko is ultimately not beyond being taken down in MMA, which is why Chookagian could make for an interesting dance partner. The American-born Armenian is a Renzo Gracie brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who has submission chops from both top and bottom.
Chookagian also demonstrates excellent leg dexterity when fighting from her back, offering triangle-armbar setups that command her opponent’s respect. Nevertheless, Chookagian, like the champion, has also shown that she can get stuck on her back for long enough to lose a round – making the battle for top position all the more important.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction