Valentina Shevchenko vs. Liz Carmouche expected to headline UFC Uruguay
UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is expected to put her belt on the line against Liz Carmouche in the UFC on ESPN+ 14 headliner. MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday confirmed the news first reported by ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
The bout had been targeted as a late replacement for the UFC on ESPN 4 on July 20, but the promotion instead opted for Rafael dos Anjos vs. Leon Edwards for that fight card. Shevchenko vs. Carmouche will instead headline UFC on ESPN+ 14 on Aug. 10 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Shevchenko (17-3) failed to capture the belt in the UFC bantamweight division, having lost once to Carmouche and twice to Amanda Nunes at 135 pounds. She has since gone undefeated at 125 pounds.
Shevchenko had one fight at 125 pounds before she squared off with former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight belt. She easily earned a unanimous-decision victory over Jedrzejczyk and then defended her belt with a stunning 26-second knockout of Jessica Eye at UFC 238.
Carmouche (13-6) hasn't been quite as stellar since her drop to 125 pounds. She lost her flyweight debut in a split decision to Alexis Davis, but rebounded with back-to-back victories over Jennifer Maia and Lucie Pudilová.
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Having defeated Shevchenko via TKO stoppage under the C3 banner in 2010 certainly didn't hurt Carmouche's reasoning for getting a shot now. She's already proven she could beat Shevchenko, who likely wouldn't mind a chance at avenging her first professional defeat.
