Valentina Shevchenko fought who many hypothesized would be her toughest test in years, but she made Zhang Weili look just like any other opponent.
Over the course of five rounds Saturday at UFC 322, Shevchenko (26-4-1 MMA, 15-3-1 UFC) dominated Zhang (26-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision win. The UFC women’s title fight served as the co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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Shevchenko manhandled Zhang, who vacated the strawweight title and moved up a weight class to challenge for the flyweight title. Shevchenko’s game plan was rinse and repeat, as she dragged Zhang to the canvas over and over again, frequenting the side control and half guard positions, and occasionally seeking the crucifix.
While the exchanges on the feet were less populous, Shevchenko made her mark when they occurred. Her kicks, knees, and punches were big-time weapons that Zhang did not have an answer for.
Shevchenko extends her winning streak to three. Her only career losses have come against Amanda Nunes (twice) and Alexa Grasso, whom she eventually defeated. After the win, Shevchenko named Natalia Silva, Erin Blanchfield, and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison as potential next opponents.
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Zhang’s five-fight winning streak is snapped as she moves to flyweight for the first time. It’s unclear what her next move will be, as strawweight has a new champion in Mackenzie Dern. In the cage, Zhang said she was undecided.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 322 results:
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Valentina Shevchenko def. Zhang Weili via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 322 results: Valentina Shevchenko totally wipes out Zhang Weili
