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Valentina Shevchenko marked her sixth consecutive women's flyweight title defense at UFC 266. In doing so, she moved past Amanda Nunes, Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya to top the list for the most consecutive title defenses by current champions.
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'Bullet' fought Lauren Murphy in the co-main event of UFC 266. Right from the start, Valentina Shevchenko took control of the octagon and dominated the fight throughout. Shevchenko expertly moved in and out, executing swift strikes and nullifying any offensive attempt by Murphy.
She also proved her mettle in the grappling department. The champion recorded three takedowns out of the four she attempted. She also used clinches in the right places and at the right time to further her control over the fight. Shevchenko won the fight via TKO in round four.
With the addition of Lauren Murphy to the list of defeated title challengers during her reign, Valentina Shevchenko has now defended her title six times since winning it from Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in December 2018.
Coming in second on the list of most consecutive title defenses by current champions is UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. The 'Lioness' has defended her bantamweight title five times. At featherweight, the Brazilian boasts two defenses.
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman reserves third spot on the list with four defenses, followed by Israel Adesanya, who has defended the middleweight title three times.
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has made two successful title defenses, while light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz currently has one retention under his belt.
UFC flyweight and lightweight champions Brondon Moreno and Charles Oliveira are expected to make their respective first title defenses soon.
Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling's first title defense has been postponed and an interim title fight is now expected to replace the original bout.
UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will defend her belt against former 115-pound queen Zhang Weili in a rematch at UFC 268.
What did Valentina Shevchenko say about a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes?
In the UFC 266 post-fight press conference, Valentina Shevchenko inevitably faced the question of a trilogy fight against Amanda Nunes. In response, she said:
"I am open for it. I never was choosing my opponents. I'm not that person who goes 'okay, this name looks good to me, I'll fight her,' or 'no, this name kind of does not look good, I'm not fighting her.' No, they have a name for me, I accept the fight, because I want to fight the best ones, the best ones in the world. This is how you prove that you're the best in the world. And if destiny wants to make it happen, I'm here. Right now, here"
Fortunately, the UFC might consider shaping up the trilogy fight next. UFC president Dana White revealed before Valentina Shevchenko's UFC 266 win that he would consider making the third fight with Nunes next if Shevchenko beat Murphy.
