Antonina Shevchenko returned to the win column after a hard-fought victory at UFC Vegas 58. ‘La Pantera’ defeated Cortney Casey via a split decision. With the close win, she broke her two-fight losing skid. ‘Cast Iron‘ showed grit to stand against a Muay Thai specialist and nearly secured the contest.
Official Result: Shevchenko defeated Casey via a split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
The 37-year-old Shevchenko sister had a close first round with the 35-year-old Arizona-based athlete. However, in the second round, she dominated her counterpart. The MMA Lab standout showed she would not let the fight slip and made a definitive statement in the third round.
The judges had it split for Antonina Shevchenko. With only the first round in question, the Tiger Muay Thai athlete got her hand raised. However, one judge, surprisingly, gave the second round to Casey, whereas the first round was unanimous for Shevchenko.
Interesting scoring. Neither judge gave Casey the first, but Kamijo gave her the second. Weird. pic.twitter.com/qpCDZjBI4Q
— Mike Heck (@MikeHeck_JR) July 10, 2022
Thus, the scoring of the bout was questioned by the fight fanatics, who thought the American fighter should’ve gotten the nod.
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MMA world reacts to close UFC Vegas 58 bout
With Valentina Shevchenko cheering in the corner, her sister went to work inside the Octagon. Further, though the bout was extremely close, Casey won the final round dominantly. Besides, the first round was close, which made the fans furious about the decision.
How tf she win that 💀 hell nah
— Skinny Mathias (@SkinnyFormal) July 10, 2022
Talia Santos won as did Cortney Casey.
— ㅤ (@subZZro) July 10, 2022
Judges weren’t going to go against Valentina’s “heyyyy”
— MS (@UFC_Obsessed) July 10, 2022
Casey did way more damage in the first. 29-28 Casey. HDOW robbed again.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 10, 2022
If there are two coin flip rounds and one dominant round, how are you gonna tell me it makes sense to value them all the same? @danawhite @ufc @joerogan @espnmma
— Justin Macmahan (@JustinMacmahan) July 10, 2022
Also, if this was Pride Casey wins so I’m counting. HDOW rules
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 10, 2022
Courtney Casey wins that fight if it was Pride rules 🤷🏼♂️ #UFCVegas58
— Eric Nicksick (@Eric_XCMMA) July 10, 2022
Anyhow, Casey might have lost the decision on the judges’ scorecard, but she received nothing but love from the MMA fans. Also, for Shevchenko, she needed the win to elevate her run in the UFC.
What’s next for Antonina Shevchenko and Cortney Casey?
The Tiger Muay Thai gym fighter will hope to get a top 15 opponent after a tough win against a veteran fighter in Cortney Casey. Moreover, a bout with Tracy Cortez could make a lot of sense for Antonina Shevchenko.
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 20: (L-R) Opponents Antonina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan and Ariane Lipski of Brazil face off during the UFC 255 weigh-in at UFC APEX on November 20, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
As far as Casey goes in the flyweight division, she could take on Ariane Lipski to get back in the win column after a razor-thin bout against a former top 10 flyweight fighter, La Pantera.
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What do you make of the decision in Antonina Shevchenko vs. Cortney Casey bout? Share your opinion on the comments.
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Edited by
Sreeda U M