UFC 322 takes place this weekend and we look at the UFC 322 co-main event. Clashing an intriguing mix of styles, Zhang Weili will move up in weight from strawweight to flyweight and challenge for the title against dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko.
We’ll let Ai predict how the co-main event of UFC 322 will go, as this is too close to call!
AI predicts the UFC 322 Co-Main Event
The story
Heading into the fight, the challenger is enjoying a 5-0 run, dominating every opponent in her own right. Shevchenko isn’t in great shape, but she is undefeated in her last three and has won 11 of her last 13 fights.
Both women are extremely well rounded and confident wherever the fight goes. Interestingly, they’re both trying to win the fight by using their opponents’ strengths against them, so this fight will pose a lot of questions leading up to the action.
Although she is gaining weight, it is unlikely that Zhang Weili will be dramatically smaller than BallHowever, will be used to fighting smaller girls who are not as strong as Shevchenko.
Round 1
Zhang will come out and try to close the distance early. She does this by throwing combinations, cutting angles and trying to get within Shevchenko’s kicking range. Zhang may try to initiate clinching work and test the strength of the naturally larger woman.
Naturally, the flyweight queen will remain calm, using her jab to keep the active Zhang at bay and using her lateral movement to maintain her kicking range.
With more pressure and volume, Zhang will run away with the first round, but Shevchenko will have found her range…
Round 2
The champion comes out and is off that she lost the first round and will look to increase her feints, implement more boxing into her game and possibly try to make Zhang throw to time the takedown.
If she isn’t on her back, Zhang will push hard to get back up, increasing the risk of being caught in a submission. With that said, she gets back to her feet and lands heavily on Shevchenko.
Ball can keep her distance and prevent her from hitting the fence. She will start catching Zhang as he comes in and limit Zhang’s blitz attacks.
This is a close round, but the judge may side with Zhang based on the bigger shots landed.
Round 3
This is a big round. The defending champion is two laps behind. If Zhang has found success in the previous two rounds, she will look to build on that in round three. If Shevchenko knows she is two rounds behind, she will come out more aggressively. She will counter with more emphasis and force, trying to take down and dominate Zhang when she is on the ground. She will put her power on the ground and try to waste the clock with little emphasis on finishing the fight.
She does just enough to avoid being picked up by the referee and will do some damage towards the end of the round as Zhang becomes frustrated with being in the bottom position for extended periods of time.
Clear Shevchenko round.
Round 4
Will it be a rinse and repeat for Shevchenko in round four of the UFC 322 co-main event? She knows it works, take out Zhang and control her.
Zhang will look to increase her urgency in the fourth round despite tiring from the extra weight on her frame. She will try to extend her combinations and look for takedowns herself. She will be successful, but Shevchenko will struggle out, leading to further fatigue for Zhang.
The newer champion will start with the point fight against Zhang, which frustrates the challenger and as she swings over and risks landing a big shot, Shevchenko times her, gets the clinch and lands the trip takedown. She deals damage on the floor and ends the round on top.
2-2 for the final round.
Round 5
The outcome of the UFC 322 co-main event all comes down to the final five minutes.
The women come out, touch the gloves and get right back to work. Zhang is still out of breath and Shevchenko looks much fresher. The champion sets a fast pace against her tired opponent.
Fans are wondering: who wants more?
Shevchenko continues to take down Zhang, with cleaner strikes and defensive takedowns. She presses Zhang against the cage in the clinch, but the Chinese star manages to keep her distance.
This seems to give her a second wind and she goes into bezerker mode, indistinguishable from her epic battle with Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The final horn sounds and both women throw everything they have left. Both throw their arms in the air breathlessly. They left it all there.
Result
As Bruce Buffer calls both women to the center, it’s not clear who won the UFC 322 co-main event, but he reads off three scorecards: 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, followed by the words… AND STILL!
Shevchenko retains her belt in an instant classic. Her size, sharper work and gas tank won her the fight overall.
If Zhang’s gas tank holds out for most of the fight, she could potentially score a finish, but it’s unlikely to happen.
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