UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko easily defended her title on Saturday in the UFC 247 co-main event. Shevchenko needed just three rounds to put a stop to the division's number one contender Katlyn Chookagian.
It was obvious from the first round that Chookagian was outmatched. Shevchenko perfectly executed her attack, opening up a cut over the left eye of Chookagian in the first round and scoring two takedowns in both rounds.
Less than a minute into the third round, Shevchenko swept the legs of Chookagian and took the fight to the mat, locking in the crucifix position. This allowed Shevchenko to rain down a series of unchecked punches and elbows. With Chookagian unable to defend herself, referee Jacob Montalvo called the bout at 1:03 in round three.
The win pushed Shevchenko to a 19-3 record, with her only two losses in the UFC coming against Amanda Nunes. It was her third-straight flyweight title defense. Although Shevchenko maintains there are still worthy challengers in the division (there aren't), a rematch against current bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes seems inevitable.
"I want to keep defending my belt as much as I can. But I know in the future the fight against Amanda Nunes is going to happen," Shevchenko said after the fight.
Shevchenko lost to Nunes at UFC 196 in March 2016. The two met again at UFC 215 in September 17 and Shevchenko lost against by split decision; however, she, along with many fight pundits, believe she won the rematch.