On Saturday in Singapore, the top pound-for-pound fighter in the
sport will look to keep her belt safe from yet another worthy
challenger, while she keeps up her inexorable march on the UFC’s
record books.
In the co-main event of UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko is scheduled to face 19-1 Taila Santos in the seventh defense of her Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title. If she succeeds, she will extend her record for the most consecutive title defenses in a UFC women’s division, putting more distance between herself, Amanda Nunes and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who tallied five apiece during their reigns at bantamweight and strawweight. Shevchenko’s stranglehold on the division has been so thorough that observers are left grasping at straws. Jennifer Maia winning a round from the champ a year and a half ago in an otherwise one-sided drubbing was seen by some as a possible sign that “Bullet” was slipping, or that perhaps the pack was starting to catch up with her, but Shevchenko followed up that performance with violent finishes of Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy. The 34-year-old his demonstrated that not only has she not lost a step, but may actually be fighting better than ever, an intimidating prospect for the rest of her division.
Into this forbidding spotlight steps Santos, who has rebounded from
a loss in her UFC debut to rack up four straight wins over credible
competition, looking generally dominant in the process. By the
eyeball test, the 28-year-old Brazilian is one of the very few
125-pounders who can rival Shevchenko’s size and athleticism, and
puts those physical tools to use with a well-rounded offensive
skill set. Santos will likely enter the Octagon as a 6-to-1
underdog, but considering that Shevchenko has routinely come in at
-1000 or greater against the best her division has to offer, that
is actually a form of compliment to Santos.
Here is the history of the UFC women’s flyweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. It tells the story of a division that started in chaos but has become a conveyor belt, feeding challengers to a champion who has been knocking them off with brutal efficiency, almost faster than her promotion can find them.
Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka
In the co-main event of UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko is scheduled to face 19-1 Taila Santos in the seventh defense of her Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title. If she succeeds, she will extend her record for the most consecutive title defenses in a UFC women’s division, putting more distance between herself, Amanda Nunes and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who tallied five apiece during their reigns at bantamweight and strawweight. Shevchenko’s stranglehold on the division has been so thorough that observers are left grasping at straws. Jennifer Maia winning a round from the champ a year and a half ago in an otherwise one-sided drubbing was seen by some as a possible sign that “Bullet” was slipping, or that perhaps the pack was starting to catch up with her, but Shevchenko followed up that performance with violent finishes of Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy. The 34-year-old his demonstrated that not only has she not lost a step, but may actually be fighting better than ever, an intimidating prospect for the rest of her division.
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Here is the history of the UFC women’s flyweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. It tells the story of a division that started in chaos but has become a conveyor belt, feeding challengers to a champion who has been knocking them off with brutal efficiency, almost faster than her promotion can find them.
Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka
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