The main event of UFC 230 has finally been revealed, and it’s going to be a big disappointment to MMA fans who were expecting a bigger and better fight. Nevertheless, I’ll give my thoughts on this new matchup in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks, UFC 230
The main event of UFC 230 will be a five-round women’s flyweight bout for the vacant belt between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks. The card takes place Saturday, November 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, and the news of this bout was first reported by ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. The news of this bout also means the cancellation of two other fights, as Shevchenko was tapped to fight Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 and Eubanks was set to fight Jessica Eye at UFC 232. Both those fights have now been scrapped in favor of Shevchenko vs. Eubanks headlining UFC 230.
At first glance, this is highly disappointing news for fans who were hoping for a big fight headling UFC 230. Rumors of star fighters like Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre headlining the card have abounded for months, and lightweights Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier were trying to get the main event slot for the inaugural title at 165lbs. Instead, the UFC has booked a flyweight bout that no one asked for, and the news of Shevchenko vs. Eubanks has left fans, media and fellow fighters confused and upset why the UFC would book such a mediocre fight in the main event of one of the year’s biggest cards.
Shevchenko (15-3) was supposed to fight Nicco Montano at UFC 228 last month but the fight was scrapped on weigh-in day after Montano fell ill. That led to the UFC stripping Montano of the belt and meant Shevchenko’s layoff is longer than expected as she hasn’t fought since this past February, when she tooled Priscila Cachoeira in one of the year’s worst beatings. Shevchenko is overall 4-2 in the UFC with two close losses to Amanda Nunes at bantamweight and could potentially hold the flyweight title for a long time. Eubanks (3-2) had three wins on The Ultimate Fighter before falling ill from a weight cut before the Finale. She didn’t get the opportunity to fight for the belt and instead had a six-month layoff before coming back and beating Lauren Murphy in her official UFC debut. She does not have a good MMA record and the decision to award her a title shot is shocking.
As expected, I’d highly favor Shevchenko in this fight, perhaps even more than the scheduled fight against Montano where she was a monster favorite. Although Eubanks is a pretty decent striker, we all know Shevchenko is second to none in the 125lbs weight class when it comes to striking skills. And Shevchenko should also have a big advantage on the ground. I’m not sure what the UFC was thinking booking this fight as the main event of UFC 230, but either way, I can only see the fight ending in one way, and that’s with Shevchenko getting her hand raised.