UFC champ Amanda Nunes on how she prepared to fight Valentina Shevchenko for 3rd time

EDMONTON – Despite a sinusitis attack that left her unable to defend her title at UFC 213, women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes said not much changed for her third training camp for Valentina Shevchenko.

“It was pretty much exactly the same as the other one,” Nunes told MMAjunkie in advance of their re-booking Saturday in the co-headliner of UFC 215, which takes place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. “Of course, I had to slow it down a little bit when I came back from (Las) Vegas, but we went over and over the same strategy to get everything sharp.”

Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) hooked up with a specialist to monitor her condition and took medication to keep it from flaring up. After the fight, she plans to undergo surgery to make sure sinusitis doesn’t sideline her career again.

But as far as learning a new technique or two for Shevchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a contender she beat last year just four months before claiming the belt, there’s not much she hasn’t studied. The biggest thing she’s tried to ingrain is patience so she doesn’t burn out in later rounds.

In their first meeting, Shevchenko surged in the third while Nunes faded. The Brazilian champ’s cardio has been a consistent concern.

“I’m learning how to pace myself and learning the right moment to attack,” Nunes said. “All the good things I did in the fight are more sharp, and we fixed all the bad things.”

If all goes as planned, Nunes will emerge with her second title defense, establishing a firm grip on the 135-pound division. She’s not quite ready to name her next challenger, but that will come in time.

Right now, she’s simply trying to show the world her setback was only a brief detour.

For more on UFC 215, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.