Lauren Murphy reflects on Valentina Shevchenko loss, reveals she battled with infection: “I 100 percent wish I had withdrawn from that fight”

UFC women’s flyweight contender Lauren Murphy wishes she hadn’t fought Valentina Shevchenko.

‘Lucky’ faced ‘Bullet’ last September at UFC 266. In the co-main event, Shevchenko dominated the contest. In the fourth round, the women’s flyweight champion landed a devastating combination to secure the victory.

However, it seems that the challenger might’ve been at less than one-hundred percent on fight night. Murphy, who faces Miesha Tate at UFC Long Island this Saturday, reflected on her title fight at media day earlier this week.

At media day, Lauren Murphy revealed she was battling a brutal infection during her fight with Valentina Shevchenko. The 39-year-old revealed she contracted clostridioides difficile during fight week, which made her weak during the contest.

Despite the devastating infection, the challenger didn’t pull out due to fear of missing out on her title shot. It’s a decision that Murphy has since gone on to admit that she regrets.

Valentina Shevchenko def. Lauren Murphy at UFC 266

“I should have withdrawn from that fight. I should not have been in the Octagon that night. I should not have been in the hotel that week. I should not have been in the [UFC Performance Institute] with other athletes that week. I 100 percent wish I had withdrawn from that fight.” (h/t MyMMANews)

Lauren Murphy continued, “I thought that showing up to the fight was the most important thing. ‘Just get to the fight, just get to the fight, don’t miss your chance.’ And that’s not true. That was a big mistake… When I fought Valentina, physically I was not in a place where I could compete at all, much less at my best. It was a very poor performance. I learned that you don’t show up to fights unable to compete. The most important thing is the performance. The most important thing is my health.”

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