"I can fight both of them at the same time" - Valentina Shevchenko on fighting Julianna Peña instead of Amanda Nunes

Shevchenko (left), Peña (middle), Nunes (right) [via Getty images]

Valentina Shevchenko has made it clear that she doesn't care if she faces Julianna Peña ahead of Amanda Nunes.

Having lost twice to the former two-division champion in the past, Shevchenko has been yearning for a trilogy fight with Nunes.

Below is a tweet from Bloody Elbow regarding her loss to Nunes at UFC 215:

Valentina Shevchenko on UFC 215 loss to Amanda Nunes: ‘3 rounds out of 5, I definitely won’ bloodyelbow.com/2017/9/13/1630…

Since 'The Venezuelan Vixen' wears the bantamweight crown, the trilogy match between 'Bullet' and 'The Lioness' may still be on the backburner. Nunes will have the chance to reclaim the title from Peña after what was considerably one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Shevchenko believes that both ladies will put on a stellar performance and doesn't care who she faces once they are done. In fact, the UFC women's pound-for-pound champion has claimed that she would fight both of them at the same time if given the chance.

In a statement transcibed by the South China Morning Post from the UFC 275 virtual press conference on Tuesday, Shevchenko said:

"Definitely Julianna has all the chances to win, but if Amanda is gonna be in the same fight shape as when she fought me, I think she will get back her belt, and we are gonna still come back for this third fight... Either way I don’t care really. I can fight both of them at the same time, like whatever."

The Russian fighter has always been confident in her game. In 2017, she defeated Peña with an armbar in the second round, but lost to Nunes the same year in a debatable split decision. Since then, her next eight opponents had nothing to show her and these included the likes of Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Katlyn Chookagian.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos at UFC 275 in Singapore

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Before a rematch between Nunes or Peña can be announced, Valentina will have her 7th title defense when she faces the No.4-ranked flyweight Taila Santos.

Santos stands to be a tough competitor, as she has 19 wins and 1 loss on her professional fight record. The 34-year-old flyweight queen may prove to be the ultimate test of her career so far. Can the Brazilian stop 'Bullet' in her dominant reign and claim the flyweight championship in her first UFC title shot? MMA fans will find out once the stacked UFC 275 main card gets underway on June 12 in Singapore.