Few people were surprised when Valentina Shevchenko opened as a heavy favorite to defeat Jessica Eye and defend her UFC flyweight strap on June 8th at UFC 238.
Shevchenko is one of the top pound-for-pound female fighters in the sport and was widely considered to be the best 125-pounder on the planet even before she captured the UFC title last December with a rout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, having been previously listed as a historically large favorite to dethrone then-champion Nicco Montano at UFC 228 before Montano was stripped of her flyweight belt.