Valentina Shevchenko believes Amanda Nunes will reclaim the UFC bantamweight title.
At UFC 277, Nunes challenges bantamweight champion Julianna Pena in a rematch of a December 2021 bout that saw Pena author one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, submitting Nunes in the second round to claim the belt. Shevchenko thinks Nunes will win this Saturday’s bout, as she believes the pair can settle down in the cage.
” I think Amanda [wins],” Shevchenko stated when she was asked by The MMA Hour if Pena would win the rematch. “Because I felt in her last fight against Julianna, she kind of didn’t look like herself. I don’t know [what] factors affected that — family, training camp, friends at the gym, or whatever — but she didn’t look the same way when we fought. Her body type, mental and focus types were completely different. She was completely different in every way: body type, mentality, and focus. My thoughts are that she would be exactly the Amanda I know and win the fight .”
Shevchenko knows both women well, having fought them before. Pena was submitted by the UFC flyweight champion in 2017,. She fought two tough bouts against Nunes for her bantamweight title. Nunes won two decisions over Shevchenko which is likely to support the champion’s belief in her ability to reclaim the title. However, “Bullet” also admitted that Pena was far from easy.
“It’s a fight. You never know what’s going to happen,” Shevchenko said. Shevchenko said that Julianna is a formidable opponent and a fierce opponent. This pressure on her to be crowned champion comes with it. She will get ready for the fight like crazy, just get rid of everything outside of the fight and just focus on that, to beat Amanda and get her confirmation that she is real champion. Although it’s an extremely difficult opponent, I believe [Amanda wins]. will prevail. But here it’s a lot of ‘if.’
“So let’s see. We can say whatever, but the fight is real and it will show who is the best.”
Pena vs. Nunes in the Main Event of UFC 277,, which will take place at American Airlines Center Dallas on Saturday.
