Valentina Shevchenko and Lauren Murphy faced off in a women’s Flyweight clash tonight (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) at UFC 266 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In yet another dominant win, Shevchenko secured a late stoppage win.
Shevchenko landed a cracking check hook to open the fight. She soon followed with a left kick to the liver. Left hand over the top landed for Shevchenko, who was clearly looking to land big shots. Hard left kick and right hook connected once more. Shevchenko was landing nearly at will by the midway point of the round. The champion was considerably faster. Murphy’s eye was starting to close as another right hook landed. Hard spinning backfist connected for the champion, followed by a pair of left kicks. All of these strikes looked like they hurt. Just for good measure, Shevchenko landed a takedown to end a completely dominant first round.
Early in round two, the fight moved into the clinch, and Murphy was able to press her foe into the cage. Shevchenko denied a single leg and returned to distance kickboxing. Heavy check hook landed for Shevchenko yet again. Nasty liver kick too. Shevchenko slipped a punch, scored an easy body lock takedown. From there, Shevchenko maintained control to the bell.
Murphy just could not hit Shevchenko with her punches, and each attempt saw her take a right hook across the jaw. Right hooks and liver kicks scored consistently from the champion. Triple jab from “Bullet.” Murphy landed a couple decent kicks, but she was still miles behind. Shevchenko ripped a hook, slammed home a left kick, then grabbed the back clinch to seal up yet another round.
This may come as a shock, but Shevchenko landed an early right hook and left liver kick to start the championship rounds. Shevchenko committed further to the body work, digging left kicks and snap kicks into the torso. Jump kick to the chin from the champion. Right hook stunned Murphy! Shevchenko flurried and then took her foe to the ground. Shevchenko tried to maintain her aggression on the mat, but Murphy managed to tie her up. Big elbows! Shevchenko unleashed one more salvo of elbows, and the referee saved Murphy.
Once again, Valentina Shevchenko utterly dominated a top contender, barely breaking a sweat in her sixth title defense. Simply put: no one can beat this woman at 125 lbs.
Result: Valentina Shevchenko defeats Lauren Murphy via fourth-round knockout
For complete UFC 266: “Volkanovski vs. Ortega” results and play-by-play, click HERE!