UFC 315 results, highlights: Valentina Shevchenko edges past Manon Fiorot to keep the title of fly weight

At the age of 37, the UFC champion of women in fly weight Valentina Shevchenko was already on the short list of the greatest female fighter in MMA history.

On Saturday, Shevchenko (25-4-1) in Montreal as an outsider in the CO-Main event of UFC 315 in Montreal only added her growing legend by making the first defense of her second title in a close and tense decision about the red-hotel-French strike strike (12-2).

Shevchenko took home identical scores from 48-47 on all three cards in the Bell Center when the natives of Kyrgyzstan expanded her UFC record for victories by a woman in title fight in her eighth overall title defense.

“I was expecting a very hard fight because Manon is a hard opponent and a good striker, but everything I worked on to prepare for the fight,” I was able to do it, “said Shevchenko.

After the opening round, it seemed as if Shevchenko was on the way to a quick and simple victory after Fiorot, 35, no answer to the fast right counters of the southern Pfot champion, the Fiorot's nose and defeated them.

However, Fiorot fought her honor to demand the next two rounds by slowing down the action and using a combination of timely takedowns and physicality in the clinch along the cage to apparently pull ahead.

The reason why Shevchenko is known as such a legend lies in her ability to adapt to flying. So she recovered from an angry submission to Alexa Grasso in 2023 in order to ultimately leave her trilogy in September by regaining her title because she dealt with her grappling.

In the championship rounds against Fiorot, it was the rotating backfist that became Shevchenko's weapon of choice. The champion also closed round 4 by countering fiorot with stiff hands twice when the second dropped her on the screen.

In a close and tense round 5, Shevchenko did just enough as an object to overcome the clinch work from Fiorot to take a close decision home.

“My main training partner has been my sister for so many years [former UFC flyweight] Antonina [Shevchenko] And she was a south paw, so I dedicate this victory to her and my mother, “said Shevchenko.”[The key is to] continue [at this age]. It's like, numbers are nothing, it is more important how you feel mentally and physically. This is how you perform. “

Fiorot suffered her first defeat since her professional debut for 2018 when she let Leah McCourt at Cage Warriors 94 to a shared decision. Fiorot had won all seven UFC fights from 2021, including four consecutive victories against former title challengers and champions.