Shevchenko KO’s Eye with head kick to maintain title
Marc RaimondiESPN
CHICAGO — Valentina Shevchenko’s first title protection resulted in highlight-reel trend.
Shevchenko blasted challenger Jessica Eye with a left head kick 26 seconds into the second spherical that knocked Eye out chilly within the co-main occasion of UFC 238 on Saturday evening on the United Middle. Shevchenko efficiently retained the UFC girls’s flyweight title with the spectacular knockout.
Eye was down and unconscious for a couple of minute, and when she got here to she was unaware of what had occurred.
The one different head-kick knockout in a girls’s UFC title battle was by Holly Holm, when she defeated Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in 2015.
Shevchenko landed two takedowns within the first spherical and fully dominated the primary 5 minutes in prime place. Close to the tip of the spherical, Shevchenko went for a kimura submission, however Eye managed to flee and survive till the bell.
Early within the second spherical, Shevchenko went for a left kick, making it appear as if it had been focused for Eye’s midsection. As a substitute, the kick went to the pinnacle and Eye was not ready for it. The blow landed and Eye instantly crumpled to the canvas on her again.
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Valentina Shevchenko discusses her highlight-reel KO at UFC 238 and her concern for Jessica Eye afterwards. For extra UFC motion, join ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
Shevchenko (17-Three) has now gained three straight and her solely losses within the UFC have come towards Amanda Nunes, who holds the UFC girls’s bantamweight and featherweight titles. Earlier than Saturday, the Kyrgyzstan native had not scored a TKO/KO in her UFC profession. Shevchenko, 31, is the sixth fighter in UFC championship historical past to notch a head-kick knockout.
Eye (14-7, 1 NC) noticed her three-fight profitable streak snapped. The 32-year-old Cleveland native had not misplaced since transferring right down to flyweight from bantamweight.