Valentina Shevchenko vs Jessica Andrade Flyweight Title Fight Booked for UFC 261!

Shevchenko vs Andrade Tapped for Main Event of UFC 261

Valentina Shevchenko (20-3, 9-2 UFC) has been on an absolute tear since switching back to flyweight after suffering her second loss to Amanda Nunes back in September 2017. In that time, she has won six fights in a row, beginning with Priscila Cachoeira, who she defeated by a rear-naked choke. She then beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision for the vacant UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship and hasn’t looked back.

She’s followed that title fight up with four successful defenses, all in a rather convincing fashion. She chopped down Jessica Eye, edged out Liz Carmouche, dominated Katlyn Chookagian, and most recently beat Jennifer Maia by decision. She has beaten the best the division has to offer. Now her next task will be the always deadly Andrade.

Jessica Andrade (21-8, 12-6 UFC) is a former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, having won the title after knocking out Rose Namajunas with an absolutely savage slam in May 2019. Andrade has fought a who’s who of strawweight fighters, with victories over the likes of Joanne Calderwood, Angela Hill, Claudia Gadelha, Tecia Torres, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Namajunas. She’s also lost to Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili in strawweight title fights.

After losing in a rematch to Namajunas in July 2020, Andrade then made the switch up to flyweight. In her most recent fight, she made her flyweight debut against Chookagian and defeated her rather convincingly by TKO in the first round, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. Now she is getting another shot at a title, this time in a new division against one of the best fighters the UFC has to offer.

With this Shevchenko vs Andrade fight being added to the UFC 261 card as the main event, the announced bouts are as follows:

• Flyweight Title: Valentina Shevchenko vs Jessica Andrade
• Middleweight: Chris Weidman vs Uriah Hall
• Anthony Smith vs Jimmy Crute
• Danaa Batgerel vs Kevin Natividad

Who do you see winning the Shevchenko vs Andrade fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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