Lauren Murphy explains why her corner kept things positive between rounds despite Valentina Shevchenko's dominance at UFC 266
Lauren Murphy suffered a one-sided defeat at the hands of Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266.
During the fight, the commentators pointed out that Lauren Murphy's corner was doing a less than adequate job of providing her with the right guidance between rounds. Daniel Cormier was especially harsh with his criticism, comparing the coaching of Murphy's corner to the parenting of a child who doesn't have the heart to take the truth.
The MMA community on Twitter was also not far behind with their shades.
“you’re doing great in this class” -Lauren Murphy’s Corner #UFC266 https://t.co/EYLsTGeOnF
Lauren Murphy addressed the criticism her corner took from fans and experts alike in an Instagram post following her defeat. She commended her team for doing a "great job" and keeping it "simple and positive."
Lauren Murphy revealed that she herself requested not to be rushed and screamed at, even though she was losing rounds. She also congratulated Valentina Shevchenko for the win and praised her with an open heart.
"Rough night at the office 😬
"I couldn’t do sh*t 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”.
"Sh*t 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 ❤️"
Valentina Shevchenko on Lauren Murphy: "I was expecting more pressure"
Valentina Shevchenko commended Lauren Murphy in the post-fight press conference, calling her a "tough opponent." However, the flyweight queen also made it clear that she was expecting a lot more from Murphy.
"I was expecting more pressure...and it was kind of, first rounds, I was like 'okay, maybe it was a drop and she was waiting for her moment.' Second round, I was like, 'Hm, if you don't want, I will go for it.'"
Valentina Shevchenko indeed went for it and demolished Lauren Murphy. She dominated three rounds before knocking 'Lucky' out in the fourth and defending her belt for the sixth time.
Catch Valentina Shevchenko's post-fight comments below: