Yana Kunitskaya is challenging UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cyborg for the gold in the main event of UFC 222.
Cyborg has earned a total of sixteen of her professional MMA wins by KO/TKO, but Kunitskaya does think the champion actually has much knockout power.
“I know that she’s strong, but I don’t think she has that strong of knockout power,” Kunitskaya said to MMA Junkie. “She has no clean knockouts where girls go down, like Holly (Holm) have. But yes, she’s very tough. She finishes all the fights by technical knockout. I think I’m strong, too, strong enough to compare with her.”
While Cyborg has earned an aforementioned sixteen wins by KO/TKO, while Kunitskaya has earned seven of her pro wins by KO/TKO.
Despite taking the main event bout on short notice, a confident Kunitskaya says she doesn’t feel any pressure heading into Saturday Night.
“I don’t feel any pressure,” Kunitskaya said. “Everyone has weaknesses, and her last fight with Holly (Holm), it was five rounds, and it showed a lot. I was getting ready for everything and find holes everywhere – in stand-up and the ground in wrestling. I’m trying to get ready for everything.”
UFC 222 takes place on Saturday, March 3 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Cyborg and Yana Kunitskaya headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
