UFC on ESPN+ 25 goes down on February 15 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The UFC Rio Rancho card will be headlined by a possible #1 contender bout in the light heavyweight division between Corey Anderson and Jan Błachowicz.
Held in the Santa Ana Star Center arena the event features thirteen bouts total, including three UFC debuts. One of those making the walk for the first time is Shanna Young, a competitior from Dana White’s Contender Series last Summer. She will be stepping in on short notice for Nicco Montano against the rising Macy Chiasson.
Shanna “The Shanimal” Young
5’7″
Bantamweight
28-years-old
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville Martial Arts Academy
7-2
2 KO/TKOs
2 Submission
How will Young fare in the UFC:
Shanna Young is a solid talent who has a lot going for her, but her defense all around is a problem. On the feet, Young is a primarily kickboxer with a large arsenal of kicks from all kinds of angles. She’s good at both the range and in the clinch. On the outside is where she can utilize her karate style and fire her one-two. However Young is too comfortable just throwing kicks, and can be too kick-heavy with no setups at all. “The Shanimal” has some good wrestling and decent enough jiu-jitsu to be a threat in that department. Her takedown defense isn’t what it should be and off her back she’s shown to give up her back quite easy. Prediction: 2-2 in her first four UFC fights.
How do Young and Chiasson match up:
Young is the more dynamic fighter but Chiasson seems to have the advantage everywhere. Chiasson is the much bigger and stronger fight and you can expect her to bully Young in the clinch. Young doesn’t have the wrestling ability to keep Chiasson down long. The best path to victory for Young is to just outpoint Chiasson but that’s easier said than done.
