Preview: UFC on Fox 20 ‘Holm vs. Shevchenko’

Holly Holm will find her way back to the Octagon a little more than four months after she relinquished the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight crown. Holm meets Kyrgyzstani muay Thai ace Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC on Fox 20 main event on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, their five-round battle carrying with it potential title implications at 135 pounds. In the lightweight co-headliner, former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez takes on the notoriously dangerous Edson Barboza. The rest of the four-fight main card features a heavyweight clash pitting Francis Ngannou against Bojan Mihajlovic and a women’s strawweight tilt pairing Felice Herrig with Kailin Curran. Let us take a closer look at each UFC on Fox 20 matchup, with analysis and picks:Women’s Bantamweights Holly Holm (10-1) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (12-2)THE MATCHUP: After beating Holm to win the title, Miesha Tate took a dangerous fight for her first defense and lost. Holm may be flirting with the same risk herself as she prepares to meet talented striker Shevchenko in our five-round main event. Despite her pro boxing background, Holm is more dangerous as a kicker than a puncher. Mechanically, her style does not lend itself to hard punching unless, as Ronda Rousey did, the opponent repeatedly runs into …

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