Tainara Lisboa is set to make an exciting debut in the octagon opposite Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Charlotte, who is a more experienced UFC veteran. Lisboa, a two-time Muay Thai champion, who has a solid background in the sport, also fought Valentina Shevchenko ten years ago.

Shevchenko is acknowledged as the greatest UFC women’s flyweight champion of all-time, and Lisboa believes that the result of their 2010 Muay Thai match was controversial, as she alleges that Shevchenko used some illegal throws. Lisboa claims that the fight attracted a lot of attention and that they appealed the result, which was changed to no-contest a few days later.

At the time of their Muay Thai match, Shevchenko was unbeaten in MMA and had already given a tough fight to Joanna Jędrzejczyk in three separate amateur Muay Thai matches. Nevertheless, Shevchenko lost her first pro MMA match to Liz Carmouche a few months later before turning things around and going on to become the UFC flyweight champion.

Lisboa concedes that Shevchenko was able to create a solid MMA game and considers her an outstanding flyweight. Lisboa asserts that Shevchenko still has a lot of potential and predicts that Shevchenko will be the champion again when they meet in the future.

Lisboa, who has a record of 5-2 in the Brazilian MMA scene, attributes his struggles in finding fights early on to her Muay Thai background. Although she will go into her octagon debut at a disadvantage due to Clark’s more extended stay in the UFC, Lisboa thinks that her fighting ability is hard to scrutinize.

Lisboa claims that she has seventeen years of athletic experience and has been training in MMA for six years now, which gives her ample experience, despite not having fought regularly.

In conclusion, Lisboa’s Muay Thai background, coupled with her MMA training, puts her in good stead for her debut against Clark and future bouts down the line. Lisboa’s experience with Shevchenko may have had a controversial outcome, but it is proof of her competence and ability in the sport.