UFC 270: Kay Hansen says Valentina Shevchenko is ‘definitely beatable’
- The 22-year-old American returns to the Octagon on Saturday night against Jasmine Jasudavicius, but has an eye on flyweight champ
- ‘She’s one of the most technical fighters in the division … but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have flaws,’ Hansen says of Shevchenko
Kay Hansen is certain that dominating UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko can be defeated.
Shevchenko’s iron-fisted reign dates back to 2018, when she defeated strawweight great Joanna Jedrzejczyk to claim the division’s vacant throne. In the time since, the 33-year-old Kyrgyzstani star (22-3) has thwarted six would-be usurpers – all with relative ease.
Shevchenko’s dominance has given her an air of invincibility, but the 22-year-old prospect Hansen (7-4) isn’t buying into that mystique.
“She’s one of the most technical fighters in the division, or you could say in women’s MMA in general, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have flaws,” Hansen told the Post this week. “People go into a fight with her already defeated.”
“We’re kind of at that point with Valentina where everyone’s like, ‘they’re just throwing another girl in there with her’,” the American added. “She’s definitely beatable. You need the right skill set, but you also need the right mindset. Trying to have both of those is the key to beating Valentina.”
Unlike many other fighters, Hansen is not big on studying tape. She prefers to focus on her own game rather than dissecting those of her rivals. But she is also a fan of the sport, and believes she has spotted a few vulnerabilities when she has tuned in for Shevchenko’s previous fights.
But do not expect her to reveal those vulnerabilities before she gets the opportunity to fight the champ.