UFC 285: Results from Shevchenko's last bout, how did she perform?

UFC 285 is set to take place on Saturday, March 4, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is largely centered around the return of Jon “Bones” Jones, who will square off against Ciryl Gane in a heavyweight bout. There is a co-main event, however, which features a women's flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. There are a total of 14 fights between all three cards. The main card will begin at 10:00 p.m. ET and be available on ESPN+.

Shevchenko (23-3) has won nine straight bouts, including seven straight title defenses. Her most recent fight came against Talia Santos via a five-round split decision. There was controversy surrounding this one as many people had Santos winning this one. Judge Clemens Werner ruled it 49-46 in favor of the champion but to the dismay of many UFC fans. Both fighters landed just over 50 percent of significant strikes during the match, Santos did a good job of controlling the fight on the ground. Of her seven title defenses, this one was the closest and the one to cause her the most stress.

Prior to that, she defeated Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 via fourth-round TKO via punches after hitting her, and then finished the action on the ground. The champ landed 98 of 170 significant strikes for 57 percent. Murphy, on the other hand, only landed 11 of the 91 she attempted. All of Murphy's shots came from distance, while Shevchenko landed 73 percent from distance and 20 percent from the ground.

This Saturday's contest will be her eighth straight title defense, and she enters as a heavy favorite at -800 at DraftKings SportsBook. She is on a historic run, and a win here, especially if it comes in a dominating fashion.

  
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