And still the champion! Monster Energy congratulates Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko on defeating Taila Santos at UFC 275 in Singapore to defend her UFC Women’s Flyweight World Championship title on Saturday night. In the co-main event fight that went the distance, the 34-year-old from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan earned a split decision victory after five rounds. Shevchenko also received the first place Crypto.com “Fan Bonus of the Night” award, worth $30,000 and paid in bitcoin.
UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka took place in front of a high-energy crowd inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The main card was broadcast on ESPN pay-per-view, the prelims streamed on ESPN+.
Monster Energy’s Shevchenko (23-3) came into the fight as the betting odds favorite and reigning UFC Women Flyweight World Champion. Previously, the Muay Thai expert had defended her title against Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 in September 2021. In Singapore, she faced a formidable adversary in Santos (19-2) from Brazil, who stepped into the Octagon on a four-win streak and submitted Joanne Wood in November 2021.
Right from the start, both fighters held no punches. As Santos engaged, Shevchenko connected a heavy counter right hook early in the fight. But in return, the Brazilian pressured the champion with powerful grappling, looking to secure neck cranks and rear-naked chokes. Round 2 saw Shevchenko lock in a gogoplata, which Santos escaped before being hit with a body kick and tossed to the ground.
As the fight went on, Shevchenko chipped away at Santos with heavy body kicks and jabs, but neither fighter could establish dominance on the ground or attain a submission. A key moment in the fight unfolded when the two unintentionally clashed heads at the end of Round 3, leaving Santos with a severe swelling of her eye. Over the remainder of the fight, Shevchenko regained control and made a strong push with a flurry of punches and a body lock takedown in the final moments of Round 5.
After a grueling duel that lasted 25 minutes, the judges went to the scorecards to pronounce Shevchenko the winner by split decision (48-47, 47-48 and 49-46). Saturday night’s performance also earned Shevchenko the first place Crypto.com “Fan Bonus of the Night” award, worth $30,000 and paid in bitcoin.
“I did everything. I left my heart in this Octagon. I want to keep going. I want to keep fighting. I want to improve. Bantamweight, flyweight, it doesn’t matter.” said Monster Energy’s Shevchenko upon defending her UFC Women’s Flyweight World Championship at UFC 275 on Saturday night.
Saturday night’s victory over Santos marks the seventh consecutive 125-pound title defense for Monster Energy’s Shevchenko. Her win streak now extends to nine fights. The Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian fighter first claimed the UFC Women’s Flyweight title at UFC 231 against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in December 2018 and remains unbeaten at Flyweight.
What’s next for Shevchenko? As her reign over the UFC’s Women Flyweight division continues, pundits predict the champion to face the winner of the upcoming bout between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo, taking place on August 13. Stay tuned!
Valentina Shevchenko counts amongst Monster Energy’s elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman, Jon “Bones” Jones, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, Chris “The All American” Weidman, Dominick “Dominator” Cruz, Rose Namajunas, Tony Ferguson, Marlon Vera, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Maycee “The Future” Barber, Paulo “The Eraser” Costa, Stipe “Stone Cold” Miocic, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Jessica-Rose Clark, Sean “Sugar” O’Malley, Brandon Moreno, and Giga “Ninja” Chikadze.
For more on Monster Energy’s MMA athletes visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
