If Amanda Nunes ever fights Cris Cyborg, it won’t be at UFC 224.
Despite Dana White’s wish to book Amanda Nunes against Cris Cyborg, Nunes’ next fight will be a defense of her women’s bantamweight title.
UFC officials confirmed on Thursday that Nunes will fight Raquel Pennington in the UFC 224 main event on May 12th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. So much for the idea of Nunes never headlining another pay-per-view again.
Nunes (15-4) fought just once in 2017, winning a somewhat controversial split decision over Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215. She was supposed to fight Shevchenko at UFC 213, but withdrew on fight day due to illness, hence White’s previous remarks about not having her headline shows ever again. This will be Nunes’ third defense of her belt that she took from Miesha Tate at UFC 200. Her highest profile win was the quick and brutal thrashing of Ronda Rousey at UFC 207.
Pennington (9-5) is on a four-fight winning streak, with her most recent win coming by unanimous decision Miesha Tate at UFC 205. Unfortunately, she didn’t fight once in 2017 due to shoulder surgery, then suffered a broken leg while on a hunting trip that rendered her unable to fight Nunes at UFC 219 in December. “Rocky” also holds notable victories over former title challenger Bethe Correia, as well as current strawweight contender Jessica Andrade.
Also featured on UFC 224 is a middleweight bout between Ronaldo Souza and Kelvin Gastelum, as well as Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida. The night’s main card airs live on pay-per-view.