UFC on Fox 23: Shevchenko vs. Pena

Valentina Shevchenko (13-2-0) vs. Julianna Pena (9-2-0)

Elite Women’s Bantamweight contenders Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Pena meet at UFC on Fox 23.

Valentina Shevchenko is a feared fighter in UFC’s Women’s Bantamweight division, having racked up 13 career victories compared to just two losses. The Kyrgyzstan native is an accomplished kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, and her skills translate well to the octagon. She will be up against Julianna Pena, who is coming off of an impressive victory over Cat Zingano which brought her career record to 9-2-0. Pena has not suffered a defeat for nearly four years, and will be looking to keep that streak intact against Shevchenko.

Shevchenko lands 2.67 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy of 49.66 percent. She absorbs 2.18 such strikes per minute and has a solid defense rate of 64.29 percent. The 28-year-old fighter averages 2.18 takedown attempts per 15 minutes, and converts takedowns at a 47.06 percent clip. She defends takedowns at a 70.00 percent rate, and has yet to record a submission attempt in her MMA career.

Pena lands 2.98 significant strikes per minute and connects at a 48.74 percent clip. She absorbs a mere 1.15 significant strikes per minute, and has a defense rate of 48.28 percent. Very comfortable as a wrestler, the 27-year-old Spokane native averages 3.08 takedown attempts per 15 minutes and has a takedown accuracy of 66.67 percent. Her takedown defense rate is low at 28.57 percent, but she does average an impressive 1.54 submission attempts per 15 minutes.