UFC women’s flyweight contender Lauren Murphy reacted after finally getting her first title shot against Valentina Shevchenko.
Murphy takes on Shevchenko, the 125lbs queen of the UFC, at UFC 266, which is set to take place on September 25 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The world’s leading MMA promotion announced the star-studded card on Tuesday, with Murphy vs. Shevchenko one of three big fights set for the card, along with the main event between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Brian Ortega, and a five-round welterweight bout between two legends of the sport in Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz.
Following the announcement that Murphy will finally get the chance to fight for a UFC belt, “Lucky” took to her social media to react to her upcoming fight against the champ “Bullet”.
Earned, not given. Time to grind. #UFC266 #UFC #luckylaurenmurphy #valentinashevchenko #lasvegas #letsgo #AmericanGrit #AlaskanAF #homegrown #hardroad #flyweight #titleshot #ufcgold #earnednotgiven #mainstreetboxingandmuaythai #graciebarra #mma #wmma
Murphy had been vocal about her desire to fight for the belt following her recent split decision win over Joanne Calderwood at UFC 263, which many viewed as a potential No. 1 contender fight at 125lbs. With a 7-4 record in the Octagon, including her currently five-fight win streak, Murphy will get the chance to compete for a UFC title for the first time at age 37. She is the former Invicta FC women’s bantamweight champion so she has championship experience. At the same time, there is no doubt this is a tough fight on paper for Murphy against an absolute killer in Shevchenko. Based on the betting odds for the champion’s last several title defenses, it should be expected to see Shevchenko as a big favorite once again, but Murphy has proven she can pull off the upset many times.
Do you think Lauren Murphy has what it takes to beat Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266?