Julianna Pena thought she was safe on the ground. Valentina Shevchenko proved otherwise.
The 28-year-old Shevchenko cemented her claim as the No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title, as she submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” 18 winner with a second-round armbar in the UFC on Fox 23 headliner on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Pena (8-3, 4-1 UFC) conceded defeat 4:29 into Round 2.
Shevchenko (14-2, 3-1 UFC) answered aggression with cold calculation. The Kyrgyzstani kickboxer surprised Pena with a pair of takedowns from the clinch in the first round, peppering her with ground-and-pound before evading an attempted armbar.