The UFC women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, knows what it’s like to face Amanda Nunes. Shevchenko has faced Nunes twice, losing both times. With Amanda Nunes set to fight Julianna Pena – the only woman to defeat Nunes since her rise to the top – and attempt to reclaim the bantamweight belt this weekend, Shevchenko made her prediction for Nunes v Pena 2 on The MMA Hour.
“I think Amanda [wins]. 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. She was completely different. Body type, mental type, focus type, completely different. So my thoughts, if she will be the same Amanda who I know, she will win the fight.”
Julianna Pena delivered one of the biggest upsets in MMA history when she submitted Nunes late last year. In doing so, she claimed the bantamweight title, and the Nunes rematch will mark her first title defense. Shevchenko pointed out that the massive upset victory for Pena was exactly the sort of “anything can happen” result that keeps fans interested in MMA. Shevchenko certainly respects Pena as a fighter.
“It’s a fight. You never know what’s going to happen. Julianna, she’s a strong opponent, she’s a furious opponent, and she knows how much pressure is on her now to prove that she’s real champion.
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. It’s a very hard opponent, but I still think [Amanda wins]. 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.”
If Julianna Pena wins this weekend, it may well mark the beginning of the end for one of the most dominant champions in MMA history. Amanda Nunes is widely considered the greatest female fighter on the planet, and possibly the greatest woman to ever grace the UFC. Shevchenko’s own dominance at flyweight echoes that of Amanda Nunes, and we may well see her attempt to lock down a third fight against Nunes after UFC 277.
What’s your prediction for Nunes v Pena 2? Let us know in the comments.
