Valentina Shevchenko defended her flyweight belt by stopping in the fourth round Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 Saturday night.
Shevchenko (22-3) cemented her status as one of the most dominant MMA champions with her eighth straight win in four years, including six stops.
Champion from Kyrgyzstan relentlessly harassed Murphy (15-5) for the first three rounds before stunning Murphy with a right hook and then hitting her in the cage and canvas, where she ended up with punches and elbows on the ground.
Shevchenko said she would not set goals for consistent wins or title defenses, but would instead seek to know “how far can I go. To find out what is my limit as a person. What is my limit as a martial artist. “
38 year old Murphy has won five straight fights since July 2018. to earn the first UFC title fight in her late MMA career. And yet it was nothing more than a tough sparring match for Shevchenko, who has not lost to anyone but the two-belt champion in the past 11 years. Amanda Nunez…
Despite her superiority in the division, Shevchenko said she probably won’t try to move up or down.
“I am ready to fight anyone, and there are so many strong fighters in the flyweight,” she said.