Welcome to our live coverage of UFC on FOX 20: Holm vs. Shevchenko from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

This event is headlined by a five-round bout in the women’s bantamweight division as former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm takes on Valentina Shevchenko. In the co-main event, it is a pivotal lightweight bout as Edson Barboza takes on former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 4:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

– UFC On FOX 20 Observer Panel Predictions
– UFC On FOX 20 DFS Playbook

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT)

HEAVYWEIGHTS
LUIS HENRIQUE (8-2 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) VS. DMITRY SMOLIAKOV (8-0, 0-0 UFC)

ROUND 1- Henrique misses a head kick. Smolyakov with a leg kick and then another. Henrique with a big punch and a knee that rocks Smolyakov and they clinch against the fence. Smolyakov with some punches in the clinch. They trade knees and Henrique lands one on the break. Smolyakov with a right hand and Henrique goes for a takedown but it is defended. Smolyakov with short punches in the clinch and some body punches. Smolyakov with a right hand. Henrique with a takedown attempt and he picks Smolyakov up and slams him. Henrique with some punches from the guard and then a big round of elbows. Henrique looking for a finish with some big punches and elbows. 10-9 Henrique.

ROUND 2- Smolyakov already looks gassed out. Henrique lands a left hand. Smolyakov with a leg kick and stuffs a takedown attempt from Henrique. Henrique looks for a high kick but eats a right hand as they clinch against the fence. Henrique working for the takedown. Smolyakov works for a takedown but Henrique sprawls and starts landing some punches. Henrique takes the back and landing some punches from the back. Henrique with more big punches and looking to finish. Smolyakov is doing nothing. Henrique with more punches. Smolyakov with a back elbow but still eating a lot of punches. Henrique with more punches as Smolyakov is doing nothing. Henrique has the choke in and Smolyakov instantly taps out. Henrique with the submission win.

Official Result- Luis Henrique def. Dmitry Smolyakov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:58 of Round 2

INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was a very poor fight and not a good showing for Dmitry Smolyakov. He doesn’t look like he is ready for the UFC and tapped out the moment he found himself in trouble on the ground. It’s only his first UFC bout but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is cut- it was that awful of a showing. Luis Henrique got the win but didn’t look like a viable threat in the division. He is just 22, so there is plenty of room for improvement.

FEATHERWEIGHTS
JIM ALERS (13-2 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC) VS. JASON KNIGHT (13-2, 0-1 UFC)

ROUND 1- They trade punches to start. Alers lands a solid combo. Knight with an oblique kick. They trade again. Knight with another oblique kick. They trade right hands. Alers with a right hand and a left hand. Knight with a big leg kick that trips Alers up. Knight with a solid jab followed by a right hand and an oblique kick. Knight with some trash talk in the middle of the fight daring Alers to take him down. They trade punches and Knight is cut under the right eye. Leg kicks from Knight and then a high one. They trade and clinch but Knight shakes the clinch off. Alers with a leg kick. Knight with a leg kick but eats a right hand from Alers. Alers scores a big takedown. Knight scrambles to his feet. Alers with a jab. Knight with a leg kick but it is checked. Alers with a left hand. Knight with a good combo. Knight gets a big takedown but gets right back up and begs Alers to stand. Knight with a solid combo. Good round. 10-9 Knight.

ROUND 2- Knight with a leg kick. Alers with a big right hand and they scramble to the mat but back up after a second. Knight with a leg kick. Alers lands a big right hand countering a combo from Knight. Knight with another oblique kick. Alers lands a left hook. Knight with a body punch and then lands a left hand. Knight with another leg kick. Knight with a good combo. Alers with a jab to the body. Knight with more taunting during the round. Knight with a leg kick. Knight with more leg kicks. Alers is now cut above his right hand. Knight with more trash talk. They trade and Knight with a right hand and then some more and then a front kick. Knight with a big leg kick and then another. Alers isn’t checking leg kicks but scores a takedown. Alers in the guard and Knight looking for a gogoplata. Alers esacapes to his feet and lands a big right hand as he gets back in the guard. They get to their feet and Knight with a quick takedown and they scramble. Good round and fun fight. 10-9 Knight, 20-18 Knight.

ROUND 3- Alers comes out and hurts Knight right away with a right hand and instantly gets the takedown. Alers with some punches from the top but Knight is very active from the bottom. Alers gets to his feet and Knight is able to push off and gets to his feet. They scramble and finally separate. Knight with a leg kick. Alers looking very tired right now. Knight with a body punch. They trade punches and Knight with a leg kick. Knight with a right hand that cracks Alers. Knight with another oblique kick. Alers goes for a takedown but it is stuffed but he gets one and into side control. Alers into the guard and Knight working rubber guard. Both men scoring with strikes on the ground. Knight with short punches from the bottom. Knight uses the cage to scramble to his feet. Knight gets a quick takedown but back up as the fight ends. Great fight. 10-9 Alers, 29-28 Knight.

Official Result- Jason Knight def. Jim Alers by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- Early contender for fight of the night. I’m not sure how you can give Alers two rounds so that is a bad scorecard in my eyes. Knight showed a lot of improvement compared to his first bout against Tatsuya Kawajiri. He can have some fun fights but will need to keep his emotions in check against tougher competition. Alers has just one win in four UFC bouts but with this entertaining bout he will see another fight in the Octagon in all likelihood. Alers has good skills but needs to work on conditioning, checking leg kicks as they did a lot to hurt him in this fight and not telegraphing his takedowns so much.

WELTERWEIGHTS
ALEX OLIVEIRA (14-3-1 1 NC, 3-2 UFC) VS. JAMES MOONTASRI (9-3, 2-2 UFC)

ROUND 1- They both try and land kicks but they miss. Oliveira went for a takedown but it was defended. They are clinched and Oliveira with short punches. They scramble but Oliveira presses Moontasri right back against the fence. Moontasri spins Oliveira around and lands a knee to the body. Oliveira with a knee that went low and we have a timeout. Moontasri is in a ton of pain. He is able to continue after taking time to recover. Moontasri with a leg kick. They are clinched against the fence and each land short punches. They trade knees. Moontasri with an elbow. Oliveira going deep for a takedown but can’t get it. Oliveira lands a knee. Moontasri with an elbow. They are still clinched and Oliveira with some uppercuts as the round ends. 10-9 Oliveira.

ROUND 2- Moontasri with a leg kick and then a high kick. Oliveira with the clinch against the fence. Oliveira going deep looking for a takedown and lands a low knee. Moontasri reverses position but Oliveira reverses back. Oliveira has the single leg. Oliveira with a knee to the body. They both miss uppercuts. Oliveira dropping down working hard for the takedown. Oliveira with the takedown and he steps over to half-guard. Moontasri trying to scramble but ends up getting almost mounted. Oliveira with punches from the top. Oliveira with more punches from the top. Moontasri has Oliveira in his closed full guard. Oliveira with a big right hand followed by hard elbows and punches from the top. Moontasri is tired. Oliveira with big punches to the body from the top. Oliveira with more punches as Moontasri scrambles. They get to their feet and Oliveira with a knee to the body. 10-8 Oliveira, 20-17 Oliveira.

ROUND 3- Moontasri with a high kick. Oliveira lands a right hand and Moontasri is able to counter with a right hand. Oliveira with a right hand and pressures Moontasri against the fence and scores the takedown. Oliveira with punches and elbows from the top. Oliveira in the full guard and lands a body punch. Oliveira with more smothering punches from the top control. Oliveira with body punches from the guard. Oliveira with more short punches from the top as he’s doing enough to keep the fight from being stood up. Oliveira with body punches. Oliveira with more punches to the body from the top. This is going to the judges. 10-9 Oliveira, 30-26 Oliveira.

Official Decision- Alex Oliveira def. James Moontasri by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- Oliveira with a very dominant win over Moontasri in kind of a boring fight. He fought a smart fight in keeping the distance closed and using the clinch and takedowns to smother Moontasri. Moontasri is a distance striker but was never able to get a rhythm going on his feet, and he didn’t look like he ever fully recovered from the early low blow. He has some work to do in the clinch and on the ground and Oliveira really exposed his weaknesses. As for Oliveira, he has had some good showings in the UFC and this is his most complete win so far in six appearances.

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX- 6 PM ET/3 PM PT)

LIGHTWEIGHTS
MICHEL PRAZERES (19-2, 3-2 UFC) VS. J.C. COTTRELL (17-3, 0-0 UFC)

ROUND 1- They trade leg kicks. Prazeres with a high kick. Prazeres ducks under a right hand and scores a takedown but Cottrell gets back to his feet. Cottrell with a right hand but Prazeres counters with a takedown. Prazeres tries to scramble to the back and Cottrell reverses and Prazeres is looking for an omaplata. Prazeres’ legs are really locked down on Cottrell’s arm. Cottrell tries to roll out and Prazeres uses the scramble to end up on top. Cottrell attacking the arm from the bottom. He lets go and Prazeres is in the half-guard. Prazeres looking to move to the mount. Cottrell with body punches from the bottom. Prazeres passes to side control. Prazeres does a good job at keeping Cottrell from scrambling out. 10-9 Prazeres.

ROUND 2- Prazeres with a leg kick. Cottrell tries to land a right hand but Prazeres ducks under and lands a takedown. Cottrell scrambles but gives up his back and Prazeres takes him down. They get to their feet but Prazeres still has the back and then lets go. Cottrell misses a body kick. Prazeres ducks under another punch and gets another takedown and has the back of Cottrell. They get to their feet but Prazeres still has the back. Prazeres with a big right hand on the break. Prazeres with a body kick. Prazeres with another takedown. Prazeres with some body shots in the guard of Cottrell. They get to their feet and Prazeres with a knee to the body. Cottrell stuffs a takedown attempt. Prazeres with a couple of leg kicks and then scores another takedown. They both land body punches as both look tired. 10-9 Prazeres, 20-18 Prazeres.

ROUND 3- Prazeres with a solid combination. Cottrell lands a right hand but Prazeres fires back his own right hand and then a head kick. Prazeres with a solid flush combo and then a body kick. Prazeres with punches to the body and head and then a body kick and he goes right into a takedown. They scramble to their feet and Prazeres has the back. They break. Prazeres with a combo to the body and then clunches against the fence. Cottrell is very tired. Prazeres with a combo and then ties up with Cottrell. They trade punches and Prazeres with a right hand. Prazeres with another brief takedown. Prazeres with a right hand. Prazeres with a left hand and then an overhand right. Cottrell with a low blow but there are ten seconds left. 10-9 Prazeres, 30-27 Prazeres.

Official Result- Michel Prazeres def. JC Cottrell by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was an uneventful fight. Cottrell took the fight on short notice and it really showed as he got tired early. Prazeres is physically imposing at 155 pounds with a large, muscular frame, but he played it completely safe in this fight. When he had Cottrell in trouble, he wasn’t looking for a finish but instead went for takedowns. He was getting them all, and it made him tired, and while he dominated the fight, it didn’t show much in the case of overall ability. He can get the takedowns, but against a good wrestler, he’s gonna need to rely on the striking, and his gameplans are gonna hurt him against better competition.

WELTERWEIGHTS
KAMARU USMAN (7-1, 2-0 UFC) VS. ALEXANDER YAKOVLEV (23-6-1, 2-2 UFC)

ROUND 1- They clinch right away against the fence. Usman with short punches. Yakovlev with a knee. Usman with a brief takedown and gets another. Usman with punches from the top. Usman gets Yakovlev back down and he is warned multiple times about grabbing the fence. John McCarthy takes a point away as he did give Yakovlev multiple warnings and he did grab the fence about three times. Yakovlev gets to his feet but Usman still has the body locked. Usman with knees. Usman with another takedown and Yakovlev is grabbing both fence and Usman’s shorts again. Usman drags Yakovlev down and is in side control. Usman back in the full guard of Yakovlev and lands an elbow. Usman controlled the round and wins big with the point deduction. 10-8 Usman.

ROUND 2- Yakovlev with a leg kick and Usman with a right hand. Yakovlev with a body kick. He lands another. Usman with a right hand to the body. Yakovlev with another hard body kick. Yakovlev with a knee to the body. They clinch and Usman deep in for a takedown. Usman gets the takedown and is in the half-guard. Usman with body punches from the top. Usman with more big punches from the top. He is doing enough to keep the fight on the mat. Yakovlev attempts to scramble as Usman made a mistake in stepping over and Yakovlev looking for a leglock. Usman escapes and is in the north-south position. Usman with elbows to the body. Usman with more punches to the body. 10-9 Usman, 20-17 Usman.

ROUND 3- Yakovlev misses a knee and Usman closes for a takedown. Usman with body punches as he has the back. Usman steps over into the half-guard. Usman with body punches. Yakovlev trying to scramble out from the bottom. They get to their feet and Usman gets another takedown and is in full mount. Usman with punches from the top. Usman with elbows looking for the finish in the full mount. Usman with more elbows from the top. Yakovlev rolls and gives up his back. Usman with a knee to the body. Usman has the back. Yakovlev got to his feet and grabbed the fence again. Usman with some knees to the legs and drags Yakovlev to the ground and gets into the mount. Yakovlev with a cut under the eye. Usman with punches and elbows from the top. Yakovlev survived the fight but this was complete domination. 10-8 Usman, 30-25 Usman.

Official Result- Kamaru Usman def. Alexander Yakovlev by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was a completely dominant performance from Kamaru Usman. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that exciting. Yakovlev had nothing for him on the mat and couldn’t avoid the takedowns if his life depended on it. Yakovlev’s best defense on the mat was grabbing the fence and he could’ve had more than just one point taken away. A complete nothing performance from Yakovlev, and he could be cut after this. Usman looks like he’s going to be a real solid threat at 170 pounds, and his wrestling is very strong. This was a strong win for him.

FEATHERWEIGHTS
(#11) DARREN ELKINS (20-5, 10-4 UFC) VS. GODOFREDO PEPEY (12-3, 4-3 UFC)

ROUND 1- Pepey with a spinning back kick and then a spinning back fist to start and he stuns Elkins. Pepey with a knee in the clinch and they break. Pepey with a high kick and Elkins is able to counter with a takedown and is in the guard. Pepey looking for a kimura and Pepey reverses to full mount. They scramble and Pepey pins Elkins down and is on top. Pepey with a big right hand. Pepey passes to half-guard and they scramble to their feet. Elkins looking for a takedown against the fence and gets it and lands an elbow on the way down. They trade punches on the ground. Pepey attacking from the bottom by throwing up the legs. Elkins with body punches from the full guard. Pepey looking to attack with his legs again. Elkins with some hammerfists from the top. Elkins with short elbows and Pepey is able to scramble to his feet. Elkins picks Pepey up and Pepey looking for a kimura as he has the arm of Elkins. Elkins back in the full guard. Good round of action. 10-9 Elkins.

ROUND 2- Pepey with a spin kick and he goes to the mat and Elkins chases him down. Pepey has the leg and is looking for a kneebar and Elkins is scrambling to escape. Pepey with some hard elbows from the bottom. They scramble to their feet and Pepey lands an illegal knee. Elkins was clearly down and that was clear as day. Pepey landed a right hand after as well. Herb Dean deducts a point from Pepey. Elkins is bleeding. Pepey with a right hand. Elkins ducks under a right hand from Pepey and gets a takedown. Elkins with some body punches from the bottom and blocking Pepey’s offensive attempts. Hard elbows from the bottom by Pepey. Elkins with some hammerfists from the top and then goes with the elbows. 10-8 Elkins, 20-17 Elkins.

ROUND 3- Elkins with a big body kick to start the third round. Elkins with another high kick. Pepey with a body kick and Elkins gets the body and Pepey pulls guard. That was a dumb move by him. Pepey with a punch from the bottom. Elkins with some elbows from the top. Elkins with some more ground and pound. Pepey pushes Elkins off but Elkins gets right back into the half-guard. Pepey separates and they get to their feet. Pepey misses a jumping knee and pulls guard and Elkins back on top. Elkins with more hard elbows from the top. Elkins with a big right hand from the top. Elkins mixing it up with strikes to the body and head. Pepey with small punches from the bottom but doing nothing to escape. Pepey tries to push off but Elkins is relentless from the top. Elkins with more big strikes from the top as the fight ends. 10-9 Elkins, 30-26 Elkins.

Official Result- Darren Elkins def. Godofredo Pepey by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was your standard smothering performance from Elkins. He looked as good as usual and Pepey gave him a fight. Unfortunately for Pepey, he made a lot of mistakes. Not only was the blatant knee that led to a point deduction a head-scratcher, so was him pulling guard multiple times and allowing Elkins’ suffocating top game to take over. Pepey hasn’t fought in a long time but is not ready for the level of Elkins. Elkins just keeps grinding along.

BANTAMWEIGHTS
(#12) FRANKIE SAENZ (11-3, 3-1 UFC) VS. (#15) EDDIE WINELAND (21-11-1, 3-5 UFC)

ROUND 1- Saenz with a couple of leg kicks to start. Saenz with another leg kick. Wineland with a quick takedown but they scramble right back up. Wineland with a right hand. Saenz with a leg kick. They trade punches. Saenz with a leg kick and lands a right hand after. Wineland drops Saenz with a right hand and he has him in trouble. Saenz recovers but gets tagged by Wineland again. Saenz lands an uppercut. Saenz gets a takedown. Saenz with some body punches on the ground. Wineland with an elbow from the bottom. Saenz with an elbow from the top. Wineland scrambles and gives up his back. Saenz drags him down. Saenz is cut pretty big at the top of his head. Saenz just holds position as the round ends. 10-9 Wineland.

ROUND 2- Saenz with a low kick and we have a timeout as it got the wrong part of Wineland. Back to action and they trade kicks. Wineland just misses an uppercut. Saenz lands a right hand after Wineland lands a right hand to the body. They trade right hands. Saenz with a right hand. They each land and Wineland with some solid punches. Saenz with an inside leg kick and it went low. We have a brief timeout as Wineland says it wasn’t that bad. Saenz lands a right hand but Wineland counters with a combo. Saenz misses a spinning back fist and eats a combo from Wineland. Wineland stops a takedown from Saenz. Saenz with a knee to the body and then a leg kick. Wineland lands an uppercut. Wineland clips Saenz with a right hand and he goes down for a moment. 10-9 Saenz, 19-19.

ROUND 3- This is a close fight. Saenz with a leg kick after they trade punches. Wineland lands a right hand. Wineland ducks under a Saenz punch and lands a right hand to the body. Saenz with an inside leg kick. He goes for a takedown but Wineland throws him back off. Wineland with a big right hand that drops Saenz and Saenz is in big trouble. Saenz to his feet and Wineland with more big punches and it is stopped! Big TKO win for Wineland in the third.

Official Result- Eddie Wineland def. Frankie Saenz by TKO (punches) at 1:54 of Round 3

INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was a very solid fight and Wineland looked solid for being out for the last year. He dropped Saenz multiple times and connected clean in the third and finished Saenz when he had him in trouble. Saenz was unable to find openings against the unique style of Wineland but it was a close fight until the finish. Both men are still solid top-15 fighters in the division.

MAIN CARD (FOX- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS
FELICE HERRIG (10-6, 1-1 UFC) VS. KAILIN CURRAN (4-2, 1-2 UFC)

ROUND 1- Herrig with a body kick. Herrig with a left hand. Herrig with a combo and a body kick. Herrig with another body kick. Curran tags Herrig but Herrig takes the fight to the mat. Herrig gets the back and has a rear-naked choke locked in and Curran is fighting it off. It is still in but Curran trying to survive. Curran taps! Herrig with the submission win in the first round.

Official Result- Felice Herrig def. Kailin Curran by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:59 of Round 1

INSTANT ANALYSIS- This fight went quick but Herrig looked like the veteran she is and Curran looked a little cautious and nervous out there. Herrig has been out of action for well over a year due to a lot of personal and mental issues but the layoff didn’t seem to effect her here. Curran is just now 1-3 in the UFC, and while she has loads of potential, she may be on the chopping block. That may be a good thing for her since she had only three pro bouts before coming to the UFC, and some more experience against lesser competition may be the best for her.

HEAVYWEIGHTS
FRANCIS NGANNOU (7-1, 2-0 UFC) VS. BOJAN MIHAJLOVIC (10-3, 0-0 UFC)

ROUND 1- Ngannou is a specimen to be seen. I hope he’s not USADA’s next victim. Mihajlovic misses a right hand. Ngannou with a left hand that drops him. Ngannou with big punches from the top and this fight is quickly stopped. Mihajlovic is upset but this was a mauling that went quick.

Official Result- Francis Ngannou def. Bojan Mihajlovic by TKO (punches) at 1:34 of Round 1

INSTANT ANALYSIS- That went how it was supposed to go. Ngannou is a big, scary dude at heavyweight and with tons of power. He made a bold statement that he will be champion in his post-fight interview. Mihajlovic was just a sacrificial lamb giving up five inches in height, 31 pounds and ten inches in reach. Ngannou can be a legitimate contender but needs to fight someone who has been around in the UFC for a while in his next fight. Mihajlovic may be one and done in the UFC. He is definitely too small for heavyweight and would get crushed by a lot of light heavyweights as well.

LIGHTWEIGHTS
(#6) EDSON BARBOZA (17-4, 11-4 UFC) VS. GILBERT MELENDEZ (22-5, 1-3 UFC)

ROUND 1- Melendez lands a right hand. Barboza with two leg kicks and Melendez with two right hands. Melendez with a combo. Melendez goes for a takedown but it is defended and he lands a right hand. Melendez fakes a takedown and throws Barboza’s footwork off track. They trade and Melendez lands a left hand. Barboza goes for a kick but Melendez catches it and chases him to the fence and lands a knee. Barboza with two heavy leg kicks. Barboza with a spinning back kick to the body. They trade punches. Melendez lands a nice combo and a solid left hook. Barboza with a left uppercut. Barboza with a body kick. They exchange punches and Barboza with a right hand. Melendez with a right hand. Barboza with a flying knee to the body. 10-9 Barboza.

ROUND 2- They trade wild punches to start the second round. Melendez just misses a right hand as he tries to close the distance. Melendez with some right hands. Melendez goes for a takedown but Barboza throws him off and Barboza with some leg kicks from the standing position. Barboza with a leg kick. Barboza with another leg kick and Melendez goes down and eats a right hand on the way back to his feet. Barboza with another leg kick. Barboza with a switch kick to the body and then a leg kick and then one back to the high body. Melendez stuns Barboza with a right hand. They are firing away. Melendez had Barboza in trouble there. Barboza has slowed down but lands a leg kick. Melendez with a body kick but Barboza catches the leg and gets a takedown. Both men landing on the ground in an exciting end to the round. 10-9 Barboza, 20-18 Barboza.

ROUND 3- Barboza with two leg kicks. Another big leg kick from Barboza forces Melendez to switch stances. Barboza with a left hook and another leg kick. Barboza with another leg kick. Melendez misses a right hand. Barboza with more leg kicks. Melendez misses a right hand and eats another leg kick from Melendez. Barboza with another leg kick. Melendez shoots for a takedown but easily defended by Barboza. Barboza with more leg kicks but Melendez checked one. Melendez just misses a right hand. Barboza misses a leg kick. Melendez with a right hand. Great performance from Barboza. 10-9 Barboza, 30-27 Barboza.

Official Result- Edson Barboza def. Gilbert Melendez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- Another great showing from Barboza, who keeps improving every time he’s inside the Octagon. He went to his bread and butter, the leg kicks, and Melendez paid for it. Barboza is technically great, but there are still some signs that he leaves himself open for trouble. Melendez dropped him once and didn’t capitalize on it, and by going for the takedown instead of attacking Barboza more on the feet, likely cost him the second round and could’ve changed how he fought in the third. Barboza is in an interesting position now as his teammate is Eddie Alvarez, the lightweight champion, but Barboza is definitely creeping up in the title discussion.

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS
(#2) HOLLY HOLM (10-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. (#7) VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO (12-2, 1-1 UFC)

ROUND 1- Both faked leg kicks to keep the distance in the opening minute. They trade leg kicks. They trade leg kicks again. Shevchenko with a left hand. Holm drops Shevchenko with a left hand and lands a high kick as Shevchenko got up. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick. Shevchenko lands a right hook and Holm lands a side kick. Holm misses a head kick. Shevchenko lands a right hand. They each land kicks. They clinch and Shevchenko with a takedown. Holm right back up. Holm with knees in the clinch. Holm with short knees as she has Shevchenko pressed against the fence. They break. 10-9 Holm.

ROUND 2- Shevchenko with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Shevchenko misses an axe kick. Holm just misses a side kick. Shevchenko with a leg kick. The pace is slow this round. Shevchenko with the clinch looking for a takedown but Holm turns her around. They break and Holm stumbles. Shevchenko with a right hook. Shevchenko with a spinning back fist that Holm blocks. Holm with a side kick to the body. Holm lands a right hand but Shevchenko counters with a left hand. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick. They trade punches. Shevchenko with a left hand. Holm lands a right hand as Shevchenko stumbles. Holm with a leg kick and Shevchenko misses a spinning back fist but lands a leg kick. 10-9 Shevchenko, 19-19.

ROUND 3- Shevchenko with a leg kick. Shevchenko with a right hook. Shevchenko just misses the spinning back fist. She is trying to time it. Shevchenko with a leg kick and then a side kick. Holm misses a head kick. Holm with a right hook. Shevchenko lands a right hand and then a jab. Holm tries a leg kick and Shevchenko catches it and takes her down. They scramble up and Holm puts Shevchenko against the fence. Holm is cut above her right eye. They scramble and Shevchenko with another takedown. Shevchenko in the half-guard. Shevchenko lands a couple short punches and then a knee to the body but not very active otherwise. Crowd booing big time hoping for a standup. Shevchenko lands some elbows from the top. 10-9 Shevchenko, 29-28 Shevchenko.

ROUND 4- Holm with a right hand and Shevchenko with a high kick. They trade kicks. They both miss kicks. Holm just misses a side kick. Shevchenko lands a combo. Shevchenko with a wheel kick. Holm with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Shevchenko with a combo. Shevchenko with a leg kick. They clinch for a moment and Holm with a body kick on the break. Holm lands a left hand. Shevchenko with a combo and a leg kick. Shevchenko with a combo. Not much happened this round. 10-9 Shevchenko, 39-37 Shevchenko.

ROUND 5- Shevchenko lands a right hand. Shevchenko with a Superman punch. Shevchenko lands a combo. Holm lands a right hand. Holm with a leg kick. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick and then a wheel kick that lands and then a counter right hook. They trade leg kicks. Shevchenko lands a right hand and then a left hand. Holm with a leg kick. Holm with a body kick. They trade punches and Holm lands a side kick. Shevchenko lands a right hand and then a jab. Holm getting aggressive at the end and lands a right hand. Shevchenko misses the spinning back fist. Shevchenko lands a combo. 10-9 Shevchenko, 49-46 Shevchenko.

Official Result- Valentina Shevchenko def. Holly Holm by unnaimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

INSTANT ANALYSIS- With this result, you really have to question even more the booking decisions made in this division. There was lots of money thrown away by not going with the Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm rematch, and now neither are champion and Holm is no longer in title contention. As for this fight, it was clear that Holm couldn’t get going because she works best as a counterstriker, and Shevchenko fought a calm and patient fight where she didn’t get aggressive and Holm had no answer for her. Holm is clearly not what she was when she fought Ronda Rousey, for whatever reason that may be. Shevchenko could’ve beaten Amanda Nunes had there been two more rounds, and she is a threat in that division. Still, this risky booking in this division may have killed it dead for now. Holm didn’t get going, expecting the counterpunches, and Shevchenko was the better fighter in this fight.