In a women’s flyweight title bout on the main card, Valentina Shevchenko and Jennifer Maia meet at UFC 255 Saturday at the UFC’s APEX facility in Las Vegas. The early prelims kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+, followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. ET and the main card at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.
The southpaw Shevchenko (19-3) looks to successfully defend her title for a fourth consecutive fight. She has fought off bids from Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche and Katlyn Chookagian to take her strap since she claimed it when topping Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 for the title. Two of her three championship defenses have ended with a KO/TKO win, including the last time out against Chookagian on Feb. 8 at UFC 247. Since arriving on the scene at the UFC level, six of her 10 fights have finished inside the distance with two KO/TKO wins and two submission victories, showing her versatility.
Maia (18-6-1) is 3-2 at the UFC level, but she gets a crack at her first belt. Her last time out resulted in a submission victory over Joanne Calderwood on Aug. 1 at this very same venue on the Brunson-Shahbazyan Fight Night card. That was a rarity, though, as her first four bouts with the company resulted in unanimous decisions (2-2). The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and Muay Thai black belt is strong inside the clinch, and is able to piece together combinations well. However, Shevchenko is also decent in the ground game, so Maia might be unwilling to go to the canvas.
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Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:28 a.m. ET.
Shevchenko (-1667) is an overwhelming favorite to retain her strap, and she is one of the largest favorites in recent UFC history. That’s too high a risk. Instead, go with SHEVCHENKO BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (-182) at a much more affordable price.
In addition, play UNDER 4.5 ROUNDS (-162) for what should be a slam-dunk play unless this fight inexplicably goes the distance. UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (+110) is also worth a small-unit play at plus-money.
In addition, pick a two-round block for the win. SHEVCHENKO IN ROUND 1 (+250) and SHEVCHENKO IN ROUND 2 (+450) is a good way to build your bankroll. You will lose one end, but if she wins in the first two rounds you’ll still be well ahead.
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Also see:
- UFC 255 predictions (MMA Junkie)
- Burning questions heading into UFC 255 (MMA Junkie)
- More UFC/MMA coverage from MMA Junkie
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