Pros react to Valentina Shevchenko’s submission of Julianna Pena

By Tom Taylor - January 29, 2017

Last night, the UFC touched down in The Mile-High City, Denver, Colorado, with UFC on Fox 23. This 12-fight card was an epic one, as a whopping eight of its bouts ended with stoppages, including the evening’s main event, which pitted Kyrgyzstani striker Valentina Shevchenko against American grappling specialist Julianna Peña.

Valentina Shevchenko

In advance of this fight, the striking advantage seemed to rely firmly in the corner of Shevchenko, while Peña was believed to have an advantage on the mat. Ultimately, however, Shevchenko was able to showcase some real evolutions in her game, taking Peña down twice in the first round, and submitting her with a dazzling armbar in the second. The tap occurred at the 4:29 mark of the second frame.

With this win, Shevchenko extended her win-streak to two, as she out duelled former bantamweight champion and upcoming featherweight challenger Holly Holm in her second most recent fight. Her last loss occurred in March of 2016, when she gave up a close decision to Amanda Nunes, who she will now rematch for the UFC women’s bantamweight crown sometime in 2017. With her submission of Peña, the Kyrgyzstani talent is now 14-2 in sum.

In defeat, Peña returns to the loss column after four straight wins. Prior to her bout with Shevchenko, she had not lost inside the Octagon, defeating Jessica Rakoczy, Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano in her first four bouts with the organization. She’s now 8-3 overall, and will have to impress with another big win or two before she’s talked about as a potential title challenger again.

Here’s how the MMA community reacted to Valentina Shevchenko’s surprising submission defeat of Julianna Peña.

https://twitter.com/TeamRocBiggie/status/825537650077659138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/jagatt/status/825537754062794753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/julesk_fighter/status/825537529252290561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Were you impressed by Valentina Shevchenko’s submission defeat of the dangerous Julianna Peña? How do you see her rematch with Amanda Nunes going? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/29/2017.



Topics:

Julianna Pena Valentina Shevchenko