"I just know it's gonna happen" - Valentina Shevchenko on fighting Amanda Nunes for the third time
Valentina Shevchenko believes she will cross paths again with longtime women's bantamweight titleholder Amanda Nunes sometime down the line.
Speaking with Marc Raimondi of ESPN, the reigning UFC women's flyweight champion was asked about her interest in a trilogy bout with Nunes. Shevchenko answered by saying:
"The interesting and the best thing about this fight is that I don't have to think about it, I just know it's gonna happen someday, sometime."
Raimondi then asked the Kyrgyzstani fighter what she intends to do to put the fight in motion. However, the 33-year-old said she's in no hurry to get in the cage with the Brazilian for the third time. For that reason, Shevchenko revealed, she won't be calling Nunes out and pressuring the UFC matchmakers. Shevchenko added:
"You know what I'll do after my fight? I'm gonna travel. This is a more exciting scene than just talking. Because people who talk a lot... they're focusing on like two or three years of their careers. They go up and they go down, it's all like that because they're focusing on different things."
Shevchenko is scheduled to defend her title against Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 later this month. 'Bullet' is currently enjoying a seven-fight winning streak. She's only lost twice in her UFC tenure, with both losses coming against Nunes.
Meanwhile, Nunes was scheduled to defend her crown against Julianna Peña at UFC 265 in August. Unfortunately, the Brazilian champion was forced to withdraw from the fight after she contracted COVID-19.
Watch Valentina Shevchenko weigh in on a potential trilogy bout against Amanda Nunes below:
Revisiting Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko fought twice, with the Brazilian emerging victorious both times.
The first time they fought, Nunes was able to outwork her opponent to score a unanimous decision victory at UFC 196. In their second go-round, Shevchenko challenged Nunes for her women's bantamweight title at UFC 215.
Valentina Shevchenko appears to have figured out how to effectively go toe-to-toe with Amanda Nunes. Unlike many other competitors, Shevchenko managed to give 'The Lioness' a tough time.
Nunes ultimately secured a split decision win to beat Shevchenko for a second time. However, the victory was controversial in the eyes of many observers who believed 'Bullet' deserved to win the decision.