MMA Fighter Valentina Shevchenko ended her first flyweight title defense in short order, with a devastating kick to opponent Jessica Eye’s head that was a brutal as it was efficient.
Shevchenko was clearly the dominant fighter during round one of the UFC 238 co-main event Saturday, but as round two began things came to an end quickly. Eye moved her arms down to protect her body giving Shevchenko a perfect opening to deliver a shin to Eye’s forehead that sent the fighter crashing to the canvas.
In a post-match conference Shevchenko said that she didn’t realize just how devastating her kick was until she was waved to her corner and noticed that Eye was not getting up.
Still, Shevchenko noted that every MMA fighter wants to be the one giving such blows, not taking them. “Everybody who steps into the Octagon, they know what they can get inside,” she told reporters.
Slow motion video of the kick shows just how spot on it was.
Fans and sports writers alike were shocked by the brutal kick. One twitter user noted that Shevchenko’s shin “cracks [Eye’s] dome like a baseball bat.”
Others were just as wowed:
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.