Nunes, Shevchenko Prove Nothing in UFC 215 Rematch

So what, exactly, are we supposed to do now?
Saturday night’s UFC 215 main event would help us determine the better fighter: Amanda Nunes or Valentina Shevchenko?

They had fought once already, in March 2016. The only thing we learned back th…

So what, exactly, are we supposed to do now?

Saturday night’s UFC 215 main event would help us determine the better fighter: Amanda Nunes or Valentina Shevchenko?

They had fought once already, in March 2016. The only thing we learned back then is that neither had a significant edge over the other. I guess we learned that if the fight could have somehow gone seven rounds, Shevchenko would have won. She just ran out of time, is all, much like Nunes ran out of energy.

After that, Nunes went out and beat the world and assumed control of the UFC’s Ronda Rousey Memorial Championship before putting her own bloody stamp on Rousey’s career.

We won’t get into the machinations again of what happened back in July, when the rematch was first booked. So let’s just jump straight ahead to Saturday’s contest.

To the fact, in regard to Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, we are no wiser than we were on Saturday morning.

Most fighters will find a nemesis, provided they stick around long enough. I guess that’s what Nunes and Shevchenko are to each other, though it seems likely this rivalry won’t find a place among the great blood feuds of mixed martial arts.

It seems a lot more personal for Shevchenko. That makes sense because it was she who lost a close decision to Nunes. Again.

Saturday night’s shenanigans turned Shevchenko into a ball of fury, raging about the unfairness of it all and repeatedly telling the world Nunes had not even punched her, not even once and that if you don’t believe her, just look at how there were no scratches on her face. And Nunes? You best believe she got punched in the face because just look at her face.

To Shevchenko, the evidence was as clear as day. Alas, mixed martial arts contests are not judged on cosmetic facial damage. But in her defense, who knows how these things are decided? I had Nunes winning the fight. But it was close enough I felt the need to inform my wife just how unsurprised I would be if it went the other way.

What I didn’t tell her was how little I cared either way or how, once I shut the laptop after finishing this column, it’s likely I will never give it another thought.

And I suspect a lot of you feel the same. Because while it was close, this was the rare UFC title fight that wasn’t great or awesome or terrible or boring.

It was just…forgettable.

We saw Nunes exhibit vastly improved cardio. Finally. But what we didn’t see was a champion making a case that she is the best, which seems to be the way she views herself. Shevchenko is still a terrifying force of nature on her feet. But she’s been that way for a long time.

There’s no separation between these two. Not before the fight, and not now. If they fought 10 times, they might each win five. Or one of them might win all 10. This kind of scenario usually leads to a singular thrilling fight that then evolves into a long-term trilogy, with each fighter trying to eke out a win as the fans go wild in the arena and at home.

Nunes and Shevchenko have the same neck-and-neck skills as the greatest rivalries in the sport. This feels like something that should be awesome. Something we should look forward to. Something we tell our friends about.

So why is “please don’t make us watch this again” the only thought creeping into my head right now?

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Mitch Clarke Announces Retirement After UFC 215 Defeat

Mitch Clarke has decided enough is enough. The Canadian left his gloves inside the Octagon Saturday night at UFC 215, signifying his retirement from the sport. Clarke suffered a second round TKO loss to Alex White, his third consecutive defeat after winning back-to-back fights in 2013 and 2014. Along with the setback to White, Clarke […]

Mitch Clarke has decided enough is enough. The Canadian left his gloves inside the Octagon Saturday night at UFC 215, signifying his retirement from the sport. Clarke suffered a second round TKO loss to Alex White, his third consecutive defeat after winning back-to-back fights in 2013 and 2014. Along with the setback to White, Clarke […]

UFC 215: Bonuses Handed Out, Attendance Figure Announced

The UFC’s trip to Edmonton was a successful one despite the card losing two of three highly-marketed fights. While Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko battled to a 25-minute decision, several other fights ended quickly to impress the Rogers Place faithful. Jeremy Stephens and Gilbert Melendez picked up $50,000 each and “Fight of the Night” honors […]

The UFC’s trip to Edmonton was a successful one despite the card losing two of three highly-marketed fights. While Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko battled to a 25-minute decision, several other fights ended quickly to impress the Rogers Place faithful. Jeremy Stephens and Gilbert Melendez picked up $50,000 each and “Fight of the Night” honors […]

UFC 215 Bonuses: RDA & Henry Cejudo Bank Big

UFC 215 emanated tonight (Saturday, September 9, 2017) from the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, main-evented by a rematch between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Their closely contested bout, which Nunes took by split decision, did not take home any bonus money. The Fight of the Night went to Jeremy Stephens and […]

The post UFC 215 Bonuses: RDA & Henry Cejudo Bank Big appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 215 emanated tonight (Saturday, September 9, 2017) from the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, main-evented by a rematch between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Their closely contested bout, which Nunes took by split decision, did not take home any bonus money.

The Fight of the Night went to Jeremy Stephens and Gilbert Melendez for their scrap to kick off the main card. Speaking of kicking, Stephens did plenty of it, badly damaging Gil’s lead leg in the first round with low leg kicks. Melendez would soldier on, repeatedly picking himself up off the canvas when another kick took out his leg. Compromised though he was, Melendez continued to move forward and take the fight to Stephens, eating more than his fair share of punches for his trouble. But his refusal to go quietly earned him and Stephens matching $50,000 bonus checks.

The Performance of the Night bonuses went to main carders as well, as Henry Cejudo and Rafael dos Anjos took home an extra $50,000 for finishing their opponents.

Cejudo had grappling ace Wilson Reis in trouble from the jump with his powerful striking and impenetrable takedown defense. Early in round two, a Cejudo right cross rocked Reis and sent him crashing to the canvas. Follow-up right hands sealed the first finish of Cejudo’s UFC career.

Dos Anjos put the welterweight division on notice by submitting Neil Magny with an arm-triangle in the very first round. His sophomore effort at 170 was even more impressive.

His sophomore effort at 170 was even more impressive than his debut in which he decisioned Tarec Saffiedine. A leg kick tripped Magny to the ground and RDA pounced into top position. From there, he methodically advanced position to the mount, where brutal ground and pound helped him frame the fight-ending choke.

Keep it locked to LowKickMMA for all your UFC 215 post-fight coverage.

The post UFC 215 Bonuses: RDA & Henry Cejudo Bank Big appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 215 results: Down 0-2, Valentina Shevchenko can still earn third Amanda Nunes fight

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) asked women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and division No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko to settle their differences in the UFC 215 pay-per-view (PPV) main event last night (Sat., Sept. 9, 2017) inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sure, promotion president Dana White was adamant that Nunes would never again headline another UFC PPV event, thanks to a fight-canceling sickness at UFC 213 back in July, but Ray Borg came up lame and Demetrious Johnson was told to hit the showers.

That left UFC no choice but to make this ladies night (oh what a night).

“Lioness” was looking to replicate her performance from UFC 196 back in March 2016 which ended in a unanimous decision win over “Bullet” and the chance to face — and defeat — Miesha Tate and Ronda Ronda Rousey in back-to-back championship fights.

Mission accomplished.

The Brazilian was able to outlast her opponent after 25 minutes of action, which took place primarily on the feet. While the official result is a split decision in favor of Nunes, the challenger may have a legitimate claim to a third fight.

Even though she’s down 0-2.

That’s because Shevchenko was in the contest for all five rounds and looked legitimately shocked when the scores were read, telling Joe Rogan in her post-fight interview that she took zero damage while Nunes was red from getting slugged.

Never leave it in the hands of the judges and all that crap.

The big question coming out of UFC 215 is whether or not “Bullet” is entitled to an immediate rematch. Working against her is the fact that Nunes has already defeated her twice. Working for her is the state of the 135-pound division.

It ain’t pretty.

The next two contenders are Holly Holm and Julianna Pena, both of whom were defeated by Shevchenko en route to her Nunes rematch. After that comes Ronda Rousey, who was positively destroyed by “Lioness” last December.

It’s by no means the best-case scenario, but UFC matchmakers can only work with what they have. Without a finish in either contest, both of which were close, a third go-round is probably the best course of action.

Unless you, the fickle fight fan, has a better idea.

For much more on UFC 215 including results, videos, reactions, live updates and so much more, head over to our “Nunes vs. Shevchenko” comprehensive story stream by clicking here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) asked women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and division No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko to settle their differences in the UFC 215 pay-per-view (PPV) main event last night (Sat., Sept. 9, 2017) inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sure, promotion president Dana White was adamant that Nunes would never again headline another UFC PPV event, thanks to a fight-canceling sickness at UFC 213 back in July, but Ray Borg came up lame and Demetrious Johnson was told to hit the showers.

That left UFC no choice but to make this ladies night (oh what a night).

“Lioness” was looking to replicate her performance from UFC 196 back in March 2016 which ended in a unanimous decision win over “Bullet” and the chance to face — and defeat — Miesha Tate and Ronda Ronda Rousey in back-to-back championship fights.

Mission accomplished.

The Brazilian was able to outlast her opponent after 25 minutes of action, which took place primarily on the feet. While the official result is a split decision in favor of Nunes, the challenger may have a legitimate claim to a third fight.

Even though she’s down 0-2.

That’s because Shevchenko was in the contest for all five rounds and looked legitimately shocked when the scores were read, telling Joe Rogan in her post-fight interview that she took zero damage while Nunes was red from getting slugged.

Never leave it in the hands of the judges and all that crap.

The big question coming out of UFC 215 is whether or not “Bullet” is entitled to an immediate rematch. Working against her is the fact that Nunes has already defeated her twice. Working for her is the state of the 135-pound division.

It ain’t pretty.

The next two contenders are Holly Holm and Julianna Pena, both of whom were defeated by Shevchenko en route to her Nunes rematch. After that comes Ronda Rousey, who was positively destroyed by “Lioness” last December.

It’s by no means the best-case scenario, but UFC matchmakers can only work with what they have. Without a finish in either contest, both of which were close, a third go-round is probably the best course of action.

Unless you, the fickle fight fan, has a better idea.

For much more on UFC 215 including results, videos, reactions, live updates and so much more, head over to our “Nunes vs. Shevchenko” comprehensive story stream by clicking here.

UFC 215 Results: Amanda Nunes Beats Valentina Shevchenko in Main Event

It wasn’t pretty, but Amanda Nunes found a way to retain her UFC women’s bantamweight title over Valentina Shevchenko in the main event at UFC 215 on Saturday. 
The Lioness successfully defended the strap by way of a split-decision victory over ri…

It wasn’t pretty, but Amanda Nunes found a way to retain her UFC women’s bantamweight title over Valentina Shevchenko in the main event at UFC 215 on Saturday. 

The Lioness successfully defended the strap by way of a split-decision victory over rival Valentina Shevchenko. MMAjunkie provided the scores for the champion:

It was a main event light on action, but it still offered tension. The feeling-out process for both fighters—who fought each other in 2016—was a drawn-out affair that made the first two rounds difficult to score. 

Regardless, the stats gave Shevchenko the advantage in total strikes landed, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN:

Stats obviously don’t tell the whole story. The fight is scored round by round, and Rounds 3 and 5 were also difficult to score with both fighters having their moments. Round 5 had a late takedown for the champion that could have been the deciding factor even if nothing was done with it. 

Andreas Hale of Yahoo Sports sounded off on the impact it may have had on the scorecards:

It was a close bout that is sure to draw plenty of controversy. Given the history between the two, it’s likely that this isn’t the last time we will see them in the cage together. 

The women’s championship fight wasn’t the only thing that happened at UFC 215. The card may have made headlines for losing Demetrious Johnson’s 11th title defense and Junior Dos Santos vs. Francis Ngannou, but those who did fight on the card delivered. 

Here’s a glance at the quick results for the night along with a closer look at the main card bouts. 

        

UFC 215 Quick Results

UFC 215 Main Card (10 p.m. ET)

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko, split decision
  • Rafael dos Anjos def. Neil Magny, submission (Round 1, 3:43)
  • Henry Cejudo def. Wilson Reis, TKO (Round 2, 0:25)
  • Ilir Latifi def. Tyson Pedro, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Jeremy Stephens def. Gilbert Melendez, unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Prelims on Fox Sports 1 (8 p.m. ET)

  • Ketlen Vieira def. Sara McMann, submission (Round 2, 4:16)
  • Sarah Moras def. Ashlee Evans-Smith, submission (Round 1, 2:51)
  • Rick Glenn def. Gavin Tucker, unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 29-27)
  • Alex White def. Mitch Clarke, TKO (Round 2, 4:36)

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass (7 p.m. ET)

  • Arjan Bhullar def. Luis Henrique, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Kajan Johnson def. Adriano Martins, knockout (Round 1, 0:49)

            

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Neil Magny

Rafael dos Anjos might just have a new home at 170 pounds. The former lightweight champion continued his campaign at welterweight with a first-round submission victory over Neil Magny in the co-main event. 

Not only did Dos Anjos follow up his win over Tarec Saffiedine with a victory over a ranked opponent in Magny, but he made it look easy. 

The Brazilian parlayed a failed kick by his opponent into a takedown where he established top position. It proved to be the beginning of the end. From there, RDA went to work transitioning with his slick grappling game to side control. 

Dos Anjos then locked in an arm-triangle choke that drew the tap. Josh Gross of The Guardian broke down the finish:

Dos Anjos’ win comes at an opportunistic time. The welterweight division doesn’t have a clear-cut title contender, and RDA has the draw of being a former champion. 

Patrick Wyman of the Washington Post already started breaking down the matchup between the former lightweight king and the welterweight titleholder:

Dos Anjos’ emergence is good news for a division that has been lackluster during the Tyron Woodley era. 

         

Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis

Henry Cejudo is an Olympic gold-medalist wrestler, but he didn’t need those skills to score a second-round TKO victory over Wilson Reis. 

The usually dominant grappler switched things up against Reis, coming out in a karate stance. It wasn’t just window dressing, either. Cejudo peppered Reis with boxing combinations that flummoxed an overmatched Reis. 

He eventually went back to his wrestling, scoring a takedown to end a dominant first round that MMA Fighting called the best of his career:

 

In the second frame, he went right back to work with his striking. A swift two-punch combination ended Reis’ night for good and gave Cejudo his most impressive performance. 

Of course, the next question is whether Cejudo is ready to avenge his first-round loss to Demetrious Johnson. After the bout, he admitted it’s a question that’s crossed his mind:

          

Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro

There comes a time in every prospect’s career when they face a veteran who knows how to grind out a win. For Tyson Pedro, that time was this fight against Ilir Latifi. 

Pedro came into the bout as a hot prospect in the light heavyweight division. His exciting size (6’3″ with a 79-inch reach) makes him someone to watch, but The Sledgehammer showed that Pedro isn’t ready for top-10 competition in the division. 

Pedro had his moments, but Latifi used the clinch and his wrestling game to make Pedro work all night. It made it difficult for the Australian to create any space. Latifi even caused damage with his takedowns. 

The result was two of three rounds where Latifi was the definite winner on volume and control of the fight alone. 

For Latifi, this is a reminder that he is a tough out for anyone in the light heavyweight division. He’s a powerhouse wrestler and a capable striker. 

This probably won’t be the last time we see Pedro in a fight between ranked opponents. The 25-year-old has improvements to make, but this was only his seventh professional fight. 

         

Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez

Well-performed leg kicks can win a fight on their own. 

Jeremy Stephens proved this maxim to be true in his dominant decision victory over Gilbert Melendez. The Lil Heathen went to work early on the lead leg of the former Strikeforce champion, and it paid off in a big way. 

Even in the first round, the kicks were putting Melendez on his back:

Stephens—who is usually known for his boxing—had Melendez’s leg visibly damaged and swollen. The UFC provided a look at the battered leg. 

With his opponent immobilized, he was able to continually open up. It was difficult to watch, but it was a masterful performance from the featherweight veteran. 

For Melendez, this puts him in a scary spot on the UFC roster. He’s now lost four in a row. With his move down to the 145-pound division off to a rocky start, it’s tough to say what the organization will do with him next.    

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