Dana White: Valentina Shevchenko ‘makes way more sense’ for Amanda Nunes than Cris Cyborg
LAS VEGAS – Dana White has shut down the idea of a potential rematch between Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg.
Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) knocked out Cyborg in just 51 seconds at UFC 232 to claim the featherweight title in December 2018 and ended Cyborg’s remarkable winning streak.
Cyborg (25-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) departed the UFC for Bellator one fight later, but continuously has campaigned for a rematch. After Nunes avenged her loss to Julianna Peña this past Saturday at UFC 277, many wonder who’s left for the UFC dual-champ. But White prefers to see Nunes in a trilogy bout with flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko over a rematch with Bellator featherweight champ Cyborg.
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“Amanda absolutely dominated Cyborg,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters after Dana White’s Contender Series 58 on Tuesday. “The Shevchenko fight makes way more sense, and I’m not just sh*tting on Cyborg because we’ve had history.
“To be honest with you, I usually don’t talk about this sh*t publicly – you know what I always say; I don’t tell you guys anything. But she actually texted me and wished me a happy birthday for my birthday. It’s not like Cyborg and I hate each other and I’m not trying to discredit her or be mean to her. I wish her the best in whatever she’s doing. It was nice of her to send me a birthday text. So I just wanted to reiterate that I am not sh*tting on Cyborg.”
At the UFC 277 post-fight press conference, both Nunes and White seemed open to a trilogy bout with Shevchenko (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC). Nunes has defeated “The Bullet” twice, but Nunes edged out their title-fight rematch at UFC 215 by split decision.
Since she lost to Nunes in 2017, Shevchenko dropped down to 125 pounds and has dominated the weight class with seven title defenses. Most recently, she defeated Brazilian Taila Santos at UFC 275 in June.
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