LAS VEGAS – Valentina Shevchenko’s reign as UFC champion doesn’t seem to have an ending anytime soon.
The UFC women’s flyweight champion logged in yet another title defense, this time defeating Lauren Murphy at Saturday’s UFC 266. Shevchenko (22-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) stopped Murphy (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at the 4:00 mark of Round 4.
The women’s flyweight title bout was the UFC 266 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.
Shevchenko’s win was one-sided like most of her title fights.
The first three rounds were a systematic breakdown of Murphy. On the feet and on the ground, Shevchenko was in complete control of the fight. She landed big on Murphy while also scoring takedowns at will.
There was a lot of patience in the first three rounds, but the pace and aggressiveness ramped up in Round 4. Shevchenko pressured Murphy and landed a left hook that put her on skates. From there, the champion poured an onslaught of strikes that sent Murphy wobbling against the cage. Shevchenko immediately got a takedown and was relentless with her ground-and-pound until she forced the referee to stop the fight.
👊 @BulletValentina letting it fly in the fourth round
[ #UFC266 | TUNE IN NOW | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/2qE0lEEWLu ] pic.twitter.com/63vLwla35B
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
With this result, Shevchenko continues her unbeaten run since dropping down to 125 pounds in early 2018. “Bullet” is on an eight-fight winning streak with six of those wins being defenses of her flyweight title.
6️⃣th title defense in the books for @BulletValentina ✅
[ #UFC266 | TUNE IN NOW | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/2qE0lEEWLu ] pic.twitter.com/Y6YHlpAflm
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Shevchenko’s last defeat was a controversial split decision loss to Amanda Nunes for the UFC women’s bantamweight title back in September 2017. Shevchenko’s only two professional defeats in the UFC have come to current two-division champion Nunes.
Meanwhile, Murphy saw her five-fight winning streak come to an end. She went undefeated for three years before getting the title shot against Shevchenko.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 266 results include:
- Valentina Shevchenko def. Lauren Murphy via TKO (strikes) – Round 4, 4:00 – to defend women’s flyweight title
- Robbie Lawler def. Nick Diaz via TKO (retirement) – Round 3, 0:44
- Curtis Blaydes def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jessica Andrade def. Cynthia Calvillo via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:54
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Marlon Moraes via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:25
- Dan Hooker def. Nasrat Haqparast via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Chris Daukaus def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:23
- Taila Santos def. Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jalin Turner def. Uros Medic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:01
- Nick Maximov def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Matthew Semelsberger def. Martin Sano via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:15
- Jonathan Pearce def. Omar Morales via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:31
