Valentina Shevchenko predicts a third fight with Amanda Nunes will happen eventually.
Fresh off another successful title defense at UFC 261 over Jessica Andrade, Valentina Shevchenko doesn’t have a whole lot to prove. It was yet another dominating win, and further proof that nobody at Flyweight can challenge the ‘Bullet.’
For that reason, Shevchenko is talking about an old foe: Amanda Nunes. Just to be clear, Dana White has also been clear: the fight isn’t in the cards. However, he did end that thought with an asterisk, saying that he’d do it if both women absolutely wanted it. Shevchenko has said before that she doesn’t care about a potential trilogy bout, but the potential is certainly there.
“I just feel it’s going to happen,” Shevchenko told MMA Fighting. “Without putting all this pressure to someone, Ok, let’s do it now. It’s like everything good in a good time. That’s why it’s going to happen, I know for sure. Probably when time is perfect time for this fight. It’s going to happen. It’s like I cannot force someone like OK, let’s go fight me. If someone don’t want to fight, to have this fight, no one can force no one.”
Granted, she’s not necessarily changing her mind, so much as thinking about the inevitable. Who, after all, can challenge both women the way they challenged each other?
“Why I’m feeling like I’m not rushing or doing much of this stuff, I just feel it’s going to happen without extra power. Because as I say every time, if we continue successfully in our own weight class divisions, it’s going to be just only one fight that makes sense.”
That’s a fair point. It’s hard to imagine Shevchenko or Nunes losing against the current crop of challengers. If they don’t, it’s hard to deny them a matchup. Their first two bouts were competitive affairs. A rubber match not involving a split is never ideal. Forgive me. But it worked for Tito Ortiz.