Valentina Shevchenko dethrones Amanda Nunes as the P4P queen in the UFC's updated rankings
Valentina Shevchenko seems to have usurped Amanda Nunes' pound-for-pound throne, with 'The Lioness' slipping to No.3 on the ladder. The former champ-champ is currently separated from the top spot by Rose Namajunas at No. 2.
The update is a direct result of Nunes' loss at the hands of Julianna Pena this past weekend in the UFC 269 co-main event. Nunes suffered a submission loss in the second round in what was perhaps the biggest upset in UFC history.
What surprised fans and pundits alike was the fact that Nunes was quick to tap out to the rear-naked choke, something that was subsequently deemed rather uncharacteristic of Amanda Nunes.
Check out the updated women's pound-for-pound UFC rankings below:
Updated #UFC Women's Pound-for-Pound rankings https://t.co/5WgOY0ghkl
Amanda Nunes has certainly suffered the most in the wake of her setback against Julianna Pena in the last pay-per-view of the year.
In addition to being pushed out of the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings, the Brazilian was forced to part ways with her UFC bantamweight title. What's more, her loss against Pena brought a 12-fight winning streak to an end, marking her first defeat since 2014 against Cat Zingano at UFC 178.
Amanda Nunes is gunning for a rematch against Julianna Pena
Amanda Nunes, in a post on Instagram, revealed that she will undoubtedly press for a rematch and is keen to establish herself as the top dog in the UFC women's bantamweight division yet again.
"You guys think I’m going to go out unbalanced. I undoubtedly accept the rematch. Give me a little time to get my sh*t together and I will be back better than ever."
Regardless of her setback, she's now the No.1 contender in the women's bantamweight division, leaving her in a good position to lobby for a rematch to reclaim her title.
The fact that Julianna Pena is more than open to offering Amanda Nunes a rematch is something that makes things much easier. While the second clash may not take place instantly, rest assured, 'The Lioness' and 'The Venezuelan Vixen' will be running it back somewhere along the line.