UFC 266 live blog: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy

This is the UFC 266 live blog for Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy, the flyweight co-main event for Saturday’s fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Shevchenko, the UFC flyweight champion, is the No. 1 ranked fighter in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and is No. 2 on the pound-for-pound list. One of the most dominant presences in MMA, Shevchenko hasn’t lost a fight since a 2017 split-call loss to current two-division champ Amanda Nunes, the only combatant to best her in the octagon. Since claiming the flyweight title in 2018, she has defended the belt five times, hardly encountering much opposition. Most recently, she stopped former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade.

Murphy, a former Invicta FC champ, has been on a tear of late, winning five straight at 125 pounds to climb to No. 4 on the rankings at flyweight, where her overall record is 6-1 in the octagon.

Check out the UFC 266 live blog.