Heading into UFC 255, Valentina Shevchenko had defended the UFC women’s flyweight title three times since winning the vacant strap in December 2018 with a decision victory over former women’s strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Shevchenko made it four defenses on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Jennifer Maia.
At this point in her career, Shevchenko has reached the level of dominance where a lost round feels like a notable slip-up. When Maia had success in the second stanza, scoring a takedown and racking up 4:33 of control time, the UFC commentators wondered if Shevchenko’s reign was about to end.