The elder Shevchenko has struggled to find the success her younger sister Valentina has enjoyed inside the Octagon, entering Saturday’s contest with a 3-4 record in the UFC and in the midst of a two-fight skid. She’s only lost to ranked opponents, but at age 37, with a wealth of combat sports experience in the rearview mirror, you have to start wondering if Father Time is beginning to catch up with Antonina.
Casey is in the running for being the best sub-.500 fighter in the UFC, entering her bout with Shevchenko sporting a 6-8 record in the UFC that includes a smattering of close decision losses that certainly could have gone the other way. After landing on the wrong side of another one of those verdicts to begin last year, the Arizona-based fighter closed out her 2021 campaign with a unanimous decision win over Liana Jojua.
This will be an interesting clash that should clarify not only where each woman stands within the 125-pound hierarchy, but also where they’re at in their respective careers. Each could greatly benefit from a dominant performance, while if either lands on the business end of that kind of showing, it may signal that their best days are behind them.
Cody Brundage vs. Tresean Gore
Middleweights arriving from different directions meet in Las Vegas on Saturday, as Cody Brundage looks to build on his first UFC victory, and Tresean Gore aims to rebound from his first career loss.
Brundage earned solid marks for a hard-fought, short-notice loss to Nick Maximov at UFC 266 last September before collecting a first-round submission win earlier this year against Dalcha Lungiambula. The former DWCS contestant has earned a finish in six of his seven career victories and enters this one buoyed by having his hand raised inside the Octagon last time out.
After advancing to the middleweight finals on Season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter, a knee injury delayed Gore’s debut until February, where he faced off with the man he was supposed to meet in the finals, Bryan Battle. The 28-year-old got out-hustled, with Battle landing roughly twice as many significant strikes as Gore to claim the unanimous decision win and defend his position as the top middleweight from last season.
Brundage has shown some grit and toughness through his first two fights, while Gore remains someone with the raw materials to potentially develop into an impact talent down the line. Each man will be looking to make a statement in this one, and it would not be the least bit surprising if the judges were not needed.
