Amanda Nunes hints at return hours before Valentina Shevchenko loses her flyweight crown

Amanda Nunes' octagon return appears to be on the horizon.

Nunes has been out of action since July 2022, when she reclaimed her bantamweight title from Julianna Pena. The Brazilian now looks set to return to the octagon.

'The Lioness' teased her return on Twitter just a few hours before her biggest rival Valentina Shevchenko dropped her flyweight crown to Alexa Grasso. The two-division champion tweeted:

"With the energy of tonight’s fights. I’ll have some news for you soon. Tenho novidades para vocês. @lionessstudio2022"

Check out her tweet below:

With the energy of tonight’s fights. I’ll have some news for you soon. 🔥 🦁 Tenho novidades para vocês.😜 @lionessstudio2022 https://t.co/ROXlcIjvKk

A third fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko was seen as the biggest fight in women's MMA for quite some time now. With Shevchenko now dethroned and likely to rematch Alexa Grasso later this year, her trilogy bout with 'The Lioness' is now on the backburner.

With regards to who Nunes might fight next, a rubber match with Julianna Pena could be on the table, with their rivalry currently at 1-1. Interestingly, earlier this year, No.5-ranked Irene Aldana was being discussed as the next challenger for the women's bantamweight title.

Aldana notably replied to the above tweet from Nunes, subtly posting the Mexican flag.

What do we have here? 🤔

Are we about to get Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana for the UFC bantamweight championship?

#UFC #MMA https://t.co/SRkhaGnUb7

Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko: The rivalry so far

Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko share one of the best rivalries in women's MMA. While the two have faced each other twice previously, the debate as to who the better fighter is rages on, with Nunes being up 2-0 and Shevchenko being significantly smaller.

The duo squared off for the first time back in 2016, when Nunes came away with a unanimous decision win after a three-round bout. A year later, when 'The Lioness' was the bantamweight champion, they locked horns again, with Nunes edging out a split-decision this time after five rounds.

However, many felt Shevchenko deserved to have her hand raised.

Not happy ..

@BulletValentina: "I don't understand why it went the other way." #UFC215 https://t.co/axfcgkfSEn

Their rivalry pre-dated the existence of the women's flyweight division altogether. Valentina Shevchenko was clearly undersized in the bantamweight division, which many believe is the only reason why Amanda Nunes was able to eke out a split-decision in the rematch.

Soon after their razor-close rematch, UFC commentator Daniel Cormer notably claimed that while Nunes' size advantage is a huge factor, he believes Shevchenko to be the better fighter "skill for skill."

DC gives Shevchenko a “skill for skill” edge over Nunes.

(via @dc_mma) https://t.co/RVz1gIa1Ni