Ji Yeon Kim accepted a TUF 28 Finale fight with Antonina Shevchenko at very short notice. Unfortunately the decision seems to have backfired, the Korean flyweight was unable to make weight for this flyweight fight coming in at 130.5lbs.
Judging from the photos posted on Facebook the Korean has spent the last few days working out in a sweat suit at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. These efforts might have been in vain as, at the time of writing, her camp still has no idea whether or not the fight will go ahead.
Shevchenko had originally been booked to face Ashlee Evans-Smith but that fight was nixed earlier this month. Ji Yeon (8-1) who has won two fights out of three for the UFC and is coming off back to back split decision wins stepped up to accept the bout at approximately three week’s notice.
Her prospective opponent Shevchenko (6-0) is a multiple time kickboxing and Muay Thai champion and will be making her UFC debut having impressed on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. She has the option of taking 20% of Ji Yeon’s purse and going ahead with the fight but it remains to be seen whether or not she takes it.
TUF 28 Finale, Las Vegas, November 30th
Rafael dos Anjos (170) vs. Kamaru Usman (170.5)
Juan Espino (260) vs. Justin Frazier (264) (TUF 28 Heavyweight Tournament Final)
Macy Chiasson (144.5) vs. Pannie Kianzad (145) (TUF 28 Women’s Featherweight Tournament Final
Bryan Caraway (135.75) vs. Pedro Munhoz (135.5)
Edmen Shahbazyan (185.5) vs. Darren Stewart (185)
Ji Yeon Kim (130.5) vs. Antonina Shevchenko (124.5)*
Kevin Aguilar (144) vs. Rick Glenn (148.5)*
Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs. Alex Perez (126)
Michel Batista (262.5) vs. Maurice Green (259)
Juliha Stoliarenko (145.5) vs. Leah Letson (146)
Darrell Horcher (155) vs. Roosevelt Roberts (155.5)
Tim Means (170.5) vs. Ricky Rainey (170.5)
Raoni Barcelos (135) vs. Chris Gutierrez (135.5)
*Kim and Glenn miss weight. Glenn loses 20% of his purse but fight goes ahead.
