Shevchenko-Calderwood Title Fight Reportedly Set For UFC 251
In the early days of the UFC, it was not uncommon for champions to have short turnaround fights. Showcasing their dominant skills, fighters like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre went on dominant runs. It looks like “The Bullet” is continuing that tradition.
Two weeks after taking out Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247, Valentina Shevchenko is reportedly back in action at UFC 251. According to ESPN, the UFC Flyweight Champion will be putting her title on the line against Joanne Calderwood on June 6.
Shevchenko (19-3) is on a five-fight win streak, and is 7-1 in her last eight. Her fight against Chookagian lasted three rounds, with the champion dominating every aspect of it. Valentina ended up winning via TKO, her sixth win via knockout. This will be Valentina’s fourth time defending the title she won back at UFC 231 against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Ranked third in the UFC’s women’s flyweight rankings, Joanne Calderwood (14-4) is 3-1 in her last four fights. After beating both Kalindra Faria (submission) and Ariane Lipski (unanimous decision), she lost a key bout to Chookagian at UFC 238. The 33-year-old kickboxer then beat Andrea Lee via split decision at UFC 242.
Her only two losses in the UFC coming against Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko has stated she was interested in defending her title against the division until the trilogy bout.
A location for UFC 251 has not been announced yet.