MMA Preview – Valentina Shevchenko vs Lauren Murphy at UFC 266
VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO VS LAUREN MURPHY FACTS
When is UFC 266? Sunday 26th September, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 266? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 266? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 266
What channel is UFC 266 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 266? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO VS LAUREN MURPHY LOWDOWN
The Queen on the flyweight division and best female mixed martial artist to grace the planet behind Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko (21-3) co-headlines the stacked UFC 266 card making the sixth defence of her 125 lb strap. Like Nunes, she boasts a seismic skill gap between all the other contenders in her division and since winning the vacant title in 2018 against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she has dispatched Jessica Eye (knockout), Liz Carmouche (unanimous decision), Katlyn Chookagian (TKO), Jennifer Maia (unanimous decision) and most recently Jessica Andrade (TKO).
Lauren Murphy (15-4) is the next lamb in line who has been very vocal about deserving a title shot and she has a point riding a five-fight win streak which is no mean feat in the flyweight division. Her last loss was in 2018 losing a unanimous decision to Sijara Eubanks and has since beat Mara Romero Borella (TKO), Andrea Lee (split decision), Roxanne Modafferi (unanimous decision), Liliya Shakirova (submission) and Joanne Calderwood (split decision) although the competition is not as fierce as Shevchenko’s and the wins were not as convincing to say the least.
VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO VS LAUREN MURPHY PREDICTION
Shevchenko is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world regardless of weight class and gender. Murphy is a decent grappler and tough as nails but frankly does not present any threat Shevchenko has not dealt with before.
The only time we have seen Shevchenko not in complete control at flyweight was one round where Maia was able to out wrestle her. So, Murphy may decide to get he wrestling boots on and hope her cardio can overwhelm the champ for three out of the five rounds. However, Shevchenko responded and made a point of that one round by deciding to ragdoll Andrade around the octagon.
We expect this fight to go a similar way in the sense that Shevchenko will decide how the fight will play out. Murphy’s only chance is to make this ugly and stay on her like a rash. However, Shevchenko is better in every department and Murphy does not possess knockout power on the feet, so it is hard to see any way she wins this. Anything can happen in MMA, but it would be shocking to see Murphy win.
Murphy is tough enough to drag this out to a decision, but a knockout or submission is likely for the seamless Shevchenko.
Prediction: Shevchenko via KO/TKO - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
