As the odds suggested she would, Valentina Shevchenko remained the UFC women's flyweight champion Saturday night.
Shevchenko defeated Lauren Murphy via TKO at the 4:00 mark of the fourth round in the UFC 266 co-main event in Las Vegas to retain her belt for the sixth time.
Shevchenko stunned Murphy with a right hand and a head kick midway through the fourth before rushing forward to land a barrage of strikes. Shevchenko landed a takedown, which allowed Murphy to recover momentarily. But with 75 seconds left, the champion postured up on the ground and unleashed vicious elbows and punches, forcing the referee to call off the fight.
Shevchenko stopped the No. 3-ranked flyweight contender, once again showing she's one of the best fighters in the world.
"Bullet" extended her winning streak to eight and remained undefeated in the 125-pound division. Her only UFC losses have come against Amanda Nunes -the reigning women's featherweight and bantamweight titleholder - in 2016 and 2017.
Murphy, who challenged for UFC gold for the first time Saturday, saw her five-fight winning streak come to an end. This marked her first career stoppage defeat.
