Valentina Shevchenko says UFC champ Amanda Nunes not scared but 'knows I'm dangerous for her'

HOUSTON – The next UFC women’s bantamweight title fight is all but confirmed, with Valentina Shevchenko primed to challenge champ Amanda Nunes after her recent victory over Julianna Pena at UFC on FOX 23 this month.

Shevchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who beat Pena by second-round submission at the Jan. 28 event, had an in-cage confrontation with Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) after the fight and exchanged barbs on a network-televised stage to set up a future rematch for the gold.

“Bullet” and Nunes have crossed paths once before; “The Lioness” earned a unanimous-decision win in a competitive affair at UFC 196 in March 2016. There were concern Nunes was trying to skip past the fight when she called out the winner of this month’s UFC 208 women’s featherweight title headliner between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie, but it appears that idea has been tabled for the time being.

Shevchenko said she wasn’t 100 percent sure if the title shot would come next after Nunes starting to bring up other fights, but when the champion entered the octagon after her win, there was no doubt.

“I was happy because when I saw her in the octagon, it was very clear to me that the next fight will be for the title,” Shevchenko told USA TODAY Sports. “Of course we had a little bit of a discussion with her about our power, but it was good. I feel very nice right now because, first of all, I won the fight (against Pena). I feel great. I know that the next one will be the bigger fight, and I’m really excited for this.”

The first Nunes-Shevchenko encounter was a tale of two fights. Nunes, as usual, started quickly. Her pace and aggression overwhelmed Shevchenko in the first and second rounds, but then the Brazilian began to tire. Shevchenko’s superior conditioning allowed her to take over the momentum in the third frame, but ultimately her efforts came too late, and she fell short on the scorecards.

Nunes is currently riding a division-best five-fight UFC winning streak, with her most recent performance a first-round knockout of Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in December to mark her first 135-pound title defense. Shevchenko is the only fighter to take Nunes past the opening round during her current streak, and with five rounds in play for the rematch, she understands why the champion isn’t particularly eager to do it again.

“I think she knows I’m dangerous for her,” Shevchenko said. “First of all, she didn’t want to fight me when I defeated Holly Holm. She said I should fight Julianna Pena. Then she said, ‘I will fight Ronda Rousey.’ Now she said, ‘I will fight the winner of Holly Holm and Germaine.’ She knows it will be a difficult fight for her, and she’s trying to escape. I don’t think the UFC will allow this for her, and I know that she will fight me. At this level of competition, I don’t think anyone is scared, but they feel (an opponent is) dangerous. This is a different feeling.”

As far as the particulars of when and where the rematch can go down, Shevchenko said she’s yet to talk to UFC brass. After a strenuous training camp to prepare for the bout with Pena, she said it’s time to take her foot off the gas pedal and unwind before preparing for the biggest fight of her career.

“Right now, I’m thinking about recovering from my last fight because it’s very hard preparation,” Shevchenko said. “Not only physically, but mentally I was very concentrated, very motivated, and I spent every day thinking about my fight.

“It was a very, very, very hard time. Almost two months. Now I have to spend at least one week just to recover my energy.”

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