Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo has a bold prediction for a potential Nunes vs Shevchenko trilogy. He sees flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko – who moved down to 125 pounds after losing to Nunes twice at 135 – taking the third fight, as he said on The Triple C & Schmo Show.
“For the third fight, I’m actually gonna go Valentina Shevchenko just for the simple fact that Valentina has gotten a lot better and she’s the younger fighter, I believe, and she’s a smaller fighter.
Henry Cejudo: Valentina Beats Nunes In Trilogy Fight
Going up is actually better than coming down. Because if you’re struggling to make 135 pounds, going up she’s going to feel really good.”
Cejudo also pointed out that “Bullet” Valentina is fully focused on fighting, while Nunes has a young family. “Knowing Valentina, she’s all about fighting, she’s on a quest to do some amazing things.
I don’t think she’s married or in a relationship, she’s literally married to the game and that also makes somebody extremely dangerous. Amanda now has a kid, a wife, and I’m not saying that stuff holds you down but time is given.
Especially me now as a father, it’s like recovery time or I gotta get home, X, Y, and Z … I think this is the time to make it (the trilogy) because they’re both kind of getting up there in age, too. So, if they’re going to make it, I say they make it within the next six months and let the people know who is the pound-for-pound queen.”
Before then, however, Cejudo wants to see Shevchenko offer her toughest opponent a rematch. Taila Santos is the woman who has come closest to defeating Shevchenko since the last Nunes fight, and Cejudo thinks Valentina should silence all doubters before moving back up to 135 pounds.
“I think Shevchenko owes a rematch to Taila Santos and Taila Santos needs to speak up. She needs to raise her voice. If you go the whole humble route, you won’t get that title shot. She needs to ask for that fight because that other fight, I really did think that Taila Santos did have the edge over Valentina Shevchenko. I’m not the only one.
I think she runs it back with Taila Santos as she should and then she goes up and she fights Amanda Nunes for the third time.” Do you agree with Triple C’s prediction? Let us know in the comments.
