Valentina Shevchenko opened her second UFC flyweight reign with one of the most impressive, and perhaps close, wins of an already Hall of Fame-worthy career.
The Kyrgyz champion defeated the favored Manon Fiorot (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) at UFC 315 in her first title defense since reclaiming her belt at the conclusion of her trilogy with Alexa Grasso.
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Shevchenko opened the fight looking like an untouchable champion, clearly taking the first round and leaving Fiorot with a bloody nose, not to mention an almost-dazed look in her eyes. Fiorot’s response was impressive. She controlled the second round, mostly through clinches, and held on enough to have an argument for the third round.
An also-even fourth round ended with Fiorot on the mat again after Shevchenko got he with a counter-right, but the buzzer prevented further damage. Many had the fight even going into the fifth, and it the outcome was still unclear as it went to the scorecards.
Had the outcome been dependent on clinch time, Fiorot would have been sitting pretty. Instead, the judges gave it to Shevchenko, who showed she can still do damage eight years after her first title fight.
Get full UFC 315 results, highlights and play-by-play of the pay-per-view main card here.
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