Valentina Shevchenko set to defend flyweight title against Jessica Andrade at UFC 261

By Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is set to defend her title against No. 1 contender Jessica Andrade at UFC 261 on April 24.

Valentina Shevchenko, UFC 255

UFC President Dana White announced this matchup through ESPN, the promotion’s official broadcast partner.

Valentina Shevchenko, widely considered one of the top female fighters alive today, last fought at UFC 255 in November, when she picked up a lopsided decision win over Jennifer Maia.

With that win, Shevchenko has now defended the UFC flyweight title four times. After winning the vacant belt with a decision defeat of former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she defended it with a head-kick knockout of Jessica Eye, a decision win over her former foil Liz Carmouche, and a TKO win over Katlyn Chookagian.

Those wins carried her overall record 20-3 overall, and her UFC mark to 9-2—a particularly impressive run given that her only losses were competitive decisions against Amanda Nunes.

While Shevchenko has been the picture of dominance as the flyweight champion, she’ll have her work cut out against Andrade, who will undoubtedly be hailed as the champ’s toughest challenge to date.

Andrade, the former UFC strawweight champion, moved up to flyweight after a razor close decision loss to strawweight No. 1 contender Rose Namajunas. In her first flyweight fight, she usurped the division’s top contender spot with a devastating, first-round stoppage of the former title challenger Chookagian. That win elevated her overall record 21-8-0.

At present, it looks like this Shevchenko vs. Andrade fight will serve as the UFC 261 main event.

See UFC 261 lineup as it currently stands below:

  • Champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade – for the UFC flyweight title
  • Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall
  • Anthony Smith vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Kevin Natividad

Who are you picking in this newly announced Shevchenko vs. Andrade flyweight title fight? Let us know your prediction for the fight in the comments section!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Jessica Andrade UFC Valentina Shevchenko