Lauren Murphy Issues Statement After Loss At UFC 266

Flyweight contender Lauren Murphy has issued her first statement since losing her title bid to Valentina Shevchenko by TKO at UFC 266.

Inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the co-main event featured Valentina Shevchenko looking to defend her title successfully for the sixth straight time. While Murphy made it four solid rounds, the pressure and speed of the “Bullet” ran its course in the end. Shevchenko continues to impress and extend her dominant flyweight reign.

Official decision: Valentina Schevchenko (22-3) defeats Lauren Murphy (15-5) via TKO (Punches) #UFC266 #UFCpic.twitter.com/yXfD5745td

— All Access MMA (@AllAccessMMA247) September 26, 2021

Following her UFC 266 TKO loss to Shevchenko, Murphy released a statement on social media.

“Rough night at the office 😬 I couldn’t do shit in there last night. Sometimes it just be like that. It was an honor to share the cage with a fighter of Valentina’s caliber. I am proud to have earned a spot across from her. I loved the walkout and felt great in the cage. My corners did a great job too. They just kept it simple and positive, like I asked them to. I can’t stand it when corners rush in and scream at a fighter about how they’re losing rounds… I know when I’m losing rounds and I knew I needed to make something happen. I couldn’t make it happen due to getting hit every time I tried😆. As the great Chael P Sonnen once said, “The problem is, I was in there with a much better fighter tonight”.
Shit happens, but I’m okay. We live to fight another day. Thank you @ufc @mickmaynard @danawhite for the opportunity, and thank you @bulletvalentina for the fight. It was an amazing experience to fight for the UFC title, I’ll never forget it or regret it. I’ll be back but for now I want to enjoy some time off.
❤️ Thanks everyone for your support and kind words! They’re appreciated ❤️” Murphy wrote on Instagram.

The speed of Shevchenko’s strikes alongside her ability to catch opponents out of position is what makes her striking so hard to deal with. The 22-3 champion utilized a straight right, which nearly had Murphy out on her feet in the fourth round. Once the fight got to the mat, Shevchenko’s work was academic as she rained down ground and pound to finish Murphy.

With her first title shot in the rearview, “Lucky” is confident she will make her successful return after she takes some much-needed time to recover.

Who do you think Lauren Murphy should fight when she makes her return?