Valentina Shevchenko left an opponent grimacing in pain nine years ago today.
The reigning UFC flyweight champion is widely seen because the closest threat to Amanda Nunes’ status because the consensus best women’s fighter of all time.
Shevchenko has broken quite a few records during her time at 125 kilos, lots of which occurred during her five-year stint on the flyweight throne between 2018 and 2023.
But before dominating that field, the Kyrgyz star was chasing gold in one other division, and she or he achieved a rare (and brutal) feat in her profession to earn a title shot there.
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How do you’re thinking that a fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Natalia Silva would play out? 🤔
The Brazilian contender is 8-0 within the Octagon after her second straight win over a former champion at UFC 324.
Valentina Shevchenko secured her first submission in 11 years with a brutal armbar against Julianna Pena
Before Shevchenko beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 to win the vacant flyweight title, she fell in need of the bantamweight championship in her rematch with Nunes.
That clash with the ‘Lioness’ in September 2017 had been arrange by a memorable bonus-winning performance from ‘Bullet’ earlier within the yr.
On at the present time, January 28, nine years ago, Shevchenko defeated Julianna Pena. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ would go on to do what her rival couldn’t by dethroning Nunes. But years before that in Denver, she was left frantically tapping out.
The then-future flyweight queen had gone 11 years with out a submission win in her MMA profession. But that drought got here to an end when she locked up a brutal armbar on Pena in round two of their UFC Fight Night major event.
Pena was in clear pain as Shevchenko twisted her arm, and it appeared for a moment that the limb was set to snap. Thankfully, the Spokane native tapped out before the submission reached that devastating point.
Five of Shevchenko’s first seven wins in MMA got here via submission. Since then, she has just two in 19 triumphs contained in the cage.
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Valentina Shevchenko’s next challenger was decided at UFC 324
‘Bullet’ knows who she shall be sharing the Octagon with next after what unfolded in Las Vegas this past Saturday.
On the UFC 324 major card, Natalia Silva controversially beat Rose Namajunas on the scorecards after three rounds of motion that many thought ‘Thug Rose’ was on the winning side of.
The judges disagreed and awarded the Brazilian contender the victory, and the excellent news kept on coming for her post-fight.
Dana White seemingly confirmed Silva’s title shot during his press conference by confirming that she was promised a shot at Shevchenko with a victory at UFC 324.
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