"She's just not quite as dynamic" - 'Big' John McCarthy explains why Valentina Shevchenko is more skilled than Amanda Nunes
'Big' John McCarthy thinks Valentina Shevchenko is the most complete fighter in women's MMA today. The former UFC referee said that 'Bullet' has achieved perfection in nearly every aspect of the sport.
McCarthy doesn't see Shevchenko being outclassed by any other woman on the roster in terms of overall skill set, including two-division champ Amanda Nunes. In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy said:
"I've said it before, I believe Valentina, as a fighter, has got the best skill set of any woman fighter out there right now. I don't see anyone that has a better, complete skill set. Amanda has got a good stand-up, she does. She has got a good ground game, she is a fantastic fighter, she's not just quite as dynamic in a lot of her movements as Valentina."
Shevchenko and Nunes have fought each other twice, with the latter emerging victorious on both occasions. McCarthy believes that although it was the 'Lioness' who got the better of Shevchenko by the smallest of margins, she is not as skilled as the UFC women's flyweight champion.
"She matches up with her there. Obviously, they have had the two fights. They have been close fights. But Valentina is a lot smaller than Amanda. At 125 (pounds), let's just be honest, she is in that next level compared to everyone else, not that she can't be beaten. She can have a bad fight, she can have a bad night, she can make a bad mistake and get caught, I just don't see it happening," McCarthy added.
Watch McCarthy talk about Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes in the video below (from 1:08:45):
Valentina Shevchenko on fighting Amanda Nunes for the third time
Although Valentina Shevchenko has lost twice to Amanda Nunes, the demand for a trilogy fight between the two has never been higher. The MMA world wants to see them compete for the third time simply because of how dominant they've been in their respective weight classes.
Speaking to ESPN, Valentina Shevchenko made it clear that a trilogy fight with Nunes is inevitable. Without revealing when it's likely to happen, 'Bullet' said she definitely sees herself challenging the Brazilian again somewhere down the line.