The first of UFC 261’s trio of title fights featured a pair of the most exciting strikers in the UFC. Valentina Shevchenko versus Jessica Andrade was also not only one of the most anticipated women’s flyweight title fights to date, it included two women in the top-five of the ladies’ pound-for-pounds rankings.
Early in the first round, surprisingly “Bullet” was the one who intiated the grappling and scored two successive takedowns. However, Andrade defended both and got the bout back to the feet both times. A third trip takedown led to the champ getting her challengers back and attempting a rear-naked choke that the Brazilian fought off. However, round one was all Shevchenko in the striking, and most impressively, in the grappling as well.
In the second, Andrade attempted a show of power with a judo throw that Shevchenko expertly defended and then followed with her own thudding trip takedown. For a full minute, the champ controlled on the ground before the former strawweight champion once again got the fight back to the feet. With a little over two minutes left, Shevchenko landed a flyweight record seventh takedown and advanced position into a crucifix. That was the endgame as she landed punches and elbows. Opened up a cut and the stoppage was just an eventuality. At 3:19 of the second round, the Kyrgyzstan native won her seventh straight in a dominant performance that made the oddsmakers look like geniuses. It’s also her seventh finish by way of strikes in 21 career wins.
The 29-year-old Andrade has now lost for the third time in her last four Octagon appearances. However, those losses were to some of the best female fighters on the planet. The fifth-ranked pound-for-pound talent will now have to go to the back of the line and work her way back to contention. The question is, will it be at flyweight, or will she make a return to strawweight.
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