UFC 215 results: Amanda Nunes paces herself over 5, retains belt with spilt over Valentina Shevchenko

After five hard-fought rounds, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (15-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) retained her belt by the narrowest of margins, earning a split-decision win over a game Valentina Shevchenko (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

The women’s bantamweight title bout was the main event for today’s UFC 215 main card, which took place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and aired on pay-per-view.

The two women traded low kicks to start the contest, and Nunes seemed to pace herself in the opening seconds, looking for a measured attack. Nunes’ power was evident at the outset, but Shevchenko was incredibly quick in her returns. Nunes worked from range as the round unfolded, staying just outside of the smaller Shevchenko’s preferred spacing, and the challenger seemed a little uncomfortable as they looked to strike. Nunes did land one clean right hand along the way, and she seemed to control the pace and the range until the bell.

Nunes pawed a jab as the second began, and it seemed clear again that she was keeping a measured pace in her attack as she held the center position. Shevchenko’s strikes were quick when she uncorked them, but Nunes seemed the more relaxed fighter as they stood in the pocket. Shevchenko started to find a home with the right hand as she continued to dart in and out of range, while Nunes preferred to maintain distance and actually seemed to slow her output over her work in the first. The hesitation allowed Shevchenko to finally find her rhythm a bit more in the closing moments of the round.

Nunes moved again to the center in the third, pawing a left hand as she looked for openings. Nunes tried to open up more a bit early in the frame, but Shevchenko’s quick counter striking started to find the mark more frequently. A Nunes jab snapper her opponent’s head back and seemed to inspire her to throw the big right behind it. Nunes did continue to chop the legs, as well, and Shevchenko suffered a cut on her shin that sent blood flowing down her foot. Nunes seemed to really find her groove late in the frame, though she did receive a stern warning from referee John McCarthy for repeatedly moving her hand forward with her fingers extended.

If Nunes was indeed holding back for the championship rounds, she seemed to tip her hand to start the fourth, walking forward with an aggressive posture and looking to trade. Shevchenko responded in kind, firing off quick combinations, but the Nunes power was always there when she scored counters of her own. Shevchenko’s speed held true throughout the period, rifling in punching combinations and adding in a few solid knees and kicks when the opportunities arose and having perhaps her best round of the fight.

It was tightly contested through 20 minutes, and neither fighter could be confident heading into the final frame. Nunes seemed intent on letting it go, opening with a big flurry to start. Shevchenko was ready to respond, and her quick combinations continued to serve her well. The crowd didn’t necessarily seem to appreciate the efforts, but Nunes shot inside, looking for the takedown. However, Shevchenko was up to the task, and they reset to the center. Nunes moved back inside shortly after and was able to transition beautifully to the back when Shevchenko tried for a head-and-arm throw. Shevchenko defended well and moved back to her feet, but Nunes stayed tight and was able to lock the body and drag her opponent to the floor. Nunes was content to hold top position until the bell, and there was a brief verbal exchange between the two when it sounded. Both women popped to their feet confident in their efforts, though only Nunes would be rewarded, taking home the split call with scores of 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47.

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