Kong Wang believes she can beat Valentina Shevchenko again after kicking off her Ultimate Fighting Championship career with a highlight-reel finish.
Wang began her prelims against Victoria Leonardo on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 62. “The Joker,” as she lived up to her nickname during the pre-fight encounter, shut down Leonardo’s brutal right punch in just 62 seconds, the fastest finish in UFC women’s flyweight debut history.
The unbeaten Chinese star then picked Casey O’Neill to fast track his rise through the rankings.
“Just looking at the rankings, I think it’s a good fight,” Wang said during the post-fight media session. “I want to move up the rankings and get a shot at a title fight.”
Wang also won a unanimous decision over former UFC champion Shevchenko in kickboxing under the Kunlun Fight banner in 2015. The 32-year-old former martial arts champion, Asian Games medalist and amateur boxing world championship medalist believes she has all the skills necessary to replicate that win over Shevchenko in MMA.
“You all only know that I beat Shevchenko in kickboxing,” Wang said, “but what you don’t know is that I’m also the world champion in sanda, the world champion in boxing and the world champion in kickboxing. [if you] “If you compare Valentina Shevchenko to me, she has more experience, but it took me longer to get into boxing. I think my striking is better than hers.”
As for when that fight might take place, Wang said she’s open to “Bullet” being ready whenever he is, but Shevchenko is currently focused on regaining the flyweight title when she faces Alexa Grasso for the third time in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14. Having shared the ring with Shevchenko before, Wang believes she has the ability to beat Grasso.
“I believe she can win the title again,” Wang said. “We’ve fought in kickboxing before, so I know what she’s capable of and I believe in her.”
