Shevchenko caps brutal beatdown of Cachoeira with 2nd-round tapout

Valentina Shevchenko didn't leave it in the judges' hands this time.

After dropping a razor-close decision to bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes in her last outing, the 29-year-old brutalized Priscila Cachoeira with ground-and-pound before securing a second-round tapout with a rear-naked choke in her flyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 125 in Belem, Brazil, on Saturday.

Even with Nicco Montano currently owning the 125-pound crown, Shevchenko had been anointed champion-to-be with her move down from bantamweight, and called her shot at the title accordingly moments after she'd gotten her hand raised.

The Kyrgyzstan native made Cachoeira look every bit the newcomer she was, cracking her at will before bringing her to the canvas and busting her open with elbows from hell until the round-ending horn. Shevchenko resumed her beatdown in Round 2 from both mounted crucifix and full mount, and when referee Mario Yamasaki wouldn't put Cachoeira out of her misery, Shevchenko did it herself by taking the Brazilian's back and locking in the fight-ending choke at the 4:25 mark - but not before she'd landed a gaudy 230 strikes to Cachoeira's three.

Shevchenko improved her UFC record to 4-2 with the blowout, while Cachoeira lost for the first time in nine professional fights.