Antonina Shevchenko is undefeated no more.
Heading into Saturday's main card at UFC St. Petersburg, Shevchenko was the heavy favorite over Roxanne Modafferi. But "The Happy Warrior" outworked Shevchenko for all three rounds to earn a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) win over the previously unbeated flyweight.
Modafferi relied heavily on her grappling ability to aggressively counter the striker, scoring multiple successful takedowns throughout the fight. Shevchenko showed strong defense to counter many of the attacks, but ultimately came up short. Check out the highlights from UFC St. Petersburg.
It was Valentina Shevchenko's (7-1) first MMA loss. Modafferi (23-15) has now alternated wins in her past five fights. Following the fight, she jokingly said she would love to fight Cris Cyborg, but quickly retracted that and said she is exciting to fight any tough opponent.
“I want to fight (Cris) Cyborg. Just kidding!” Modafferi said. “It doesn’t matter who I call out, it’s whoever. I’m just excited to fight another tough opponent who I can prepare for and grow and show my skills as a martial artist."