Cynthia Calvillo confident she has what it takes to beat Valentina Shevchenko, can’t say the same about Lauren Murphy

Cynthia Calvillo is confident she has what it takes to beat the champ Valentina Shevchenko, but she can’t say the same about Lauren Murphy.

Calvillo returns to the Octagon at UFC 266 when she takes on former title challenger Jessica Andrade, and on the same card, Shevchenko puts the UFC women’s flyweight title on the line against Murphy. It stands to reason that Calvillo could potentially earn the next title shot against the winner of Shevchenko vs. Murphy if she defeats Andrade. If you ask Calvillo, that is going to be Shevchenko, because she doesn’t see Murphy winning the fight.

Speaking to John Hyun Ko of the South China Morning Post, Calvillo said that she doesn’t believe Murphy has what it takes to beat Shevchenko, but she is confident that she does.

“I just don’t see Lauren winning that fight. It’s just a different level. I think it’s really hard to see Valentina lose against anybody. I don’t think they’re really giving any of us a shot. The most important thing is we believe and we keep winning these fights,” Calvillo said.

“I believe I can beat Valentina for sure, 100 percent. I really truly believe it. And I’m sure Lauren believes the same thing too. But for me from the outside perspective, I don’t see that for her.”

Calvillo is coming off of a decision loss to top contender Katlyn Chookagian in her last fight, but if she can go out there and beat Andrade, she could be next in line for the title shot since she would be a fresh contender. We will see what happens at UFC 266 in September, but if you ask Calvillo, it will be her and Shevchenko emerging victorious that night.

Do you agree with Cynthia Calvillo that she has what it takes to beat Valentina Shevchenko but Lauren Murphy doesn’t?