VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO OVERCAME Julianna Pena at the UFC on FOX 23 main event in Denver’s Pepsi Center on Saturday night.
Shevchenko triumphed via submission after catching her opponent in an armbar in the fight’s second round.
The Kyrgyzstani-Russian-Peruvian fighter is likely to be rewarded for her win with a shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight title, currently held by Amanda Nunes, who overcame Ronda Rousey to retain her belt back in December.
The pair previously met before Nunes held the belt at UFC 196, with the Brazilian fighter inflicting Shevchenko’s only loss since joining the organisation.
Elsewhere on the card, Jorge Masvidal defeated Donald Cerrone via second round TKO after just a minute of action.
Colarado native Cerrone was dominated in his home town, suffering his first loss in five fights, while Masvidal earned a third consecutive victory.
Earlier in the night, Francis Ngannou got the better of former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
The Cameroon-born fighter prevailed impressively via first-round TKO and remains unbeaten in five fights since joining the UFC, while Arlovski continues a miserable run that has seen him lose his last four bouts.
In addition, in the other main card clash, Jason Knight overcame Alex Caceres in 4.21 via submission.
The Florida-born fighter earned the 16th win of his career with a rear-naked choke on his opponent in round two.
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