Shevchenko stuns Holm at UFC on FOX 20
Holly Holm suffered a setback on her road back to title contention Saturday night, losing a unanimous decision to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on FOX 20 in Chicago.
Both fighters are strongest on their feet, which is where they stayed for the majority of their five-round clash. The first two rounds saw the bantamweights trying to feel each other out, with Shevchenko deciphering Holm's timing by the end of the second.
The tide turned in Shevchenko's favor in the third after she quit relying on her right hand, flaunting an arsenal that included spinning back fists and wheel kicks. The Kyrgyzstan native also landed three takedowns, taking Holm into still largely unfamiliar territory.
Holm never quite found her range, and while she took the center of the Octagon and at times appeared the aggressor, she didn't dictate the pace of the fight until the last round.
In clearly beating a former champion and proving she can handle bigger opponents, Shevchenko's stock should soar. Coming off a loss to champion Amanda Nunes entering Saturday's fight, she's likely a couple of wins away from a rematch.
Holm, who suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in her career (boxing and kickboxing included), needs more than her ownership of Ronda Rousey's only loss to fight for the title again. While she only spent a fraction of Saturday's fight on her back and displayed competent takedown defense, she clearly looked out of her element while working from the ground. Should Holm ever square off against a grappler of even half Rousey's caliber, she'll need to improve her guard.
Shevchenko and Holm's records now stand at 13-2 and 10-2, respectively.