UFC president Dana White is not interested in putting together a mega-fight unless the fans push him to do it.
Speaking with TSN during the UFC 269 fight week, White shared his disinterest in booking the trilogy fight between women’s featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko.
The two fought twice at bantamweight in the UFC, with “The Lioness” edging Shevchenko on the score cards both times. The second fight, which took place at UFC 215 in September 2017, ended with a particularly controversial split decision, with many scoring the match for “Bullet.”
GettyAmanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko at the weigh-in for UFC 213.
Fast forward four years and the two women are dominant champions in their respective divisions. There have been calls for the trilogy match for the past few years, however White isn’t keen on scheduling it.
“I don’t know if that fight needs to happen,” White said to the outlet via MMA Fighting. “I don’t know. I’ve thought about it a lot. You know they’re both incredible in their own weight classes. They already fought twice. Why do it again?
“I would imagine if they wanted to do it bad enough and the fans wanted it bad enough, I would do it but I don’t see much point in it.”
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Nunes Is Scheduled to Defend Her Bantamweight Title This Weekend at UFC 269
GettyAmanda Nunes is carried from the Octagon after her unanimous-decision win over Germaine de Ranamie during UFC 245.
The Lioness is back this weekend, competing in the co-main event of UFC 269 on December 11, 2021. The event, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will mark Nunes’ first bantamweight title defense since December 2019 when she beat Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245.
Fast forward two years and now she’ll put the belt on the line against Julianna Pena. The two were originally supposed to meet in August 2021 at UFC 265, however Nunes contracted COVID-19 and was forced out of the bout.
Pena is a fresh match-up for the consensus women’s GOAT. “The Venezuelan Vixen” is 2-2 in her last four bouts and is riding the momentum of a third-round rear-naked choke victory over former UFC 135-pound title challenger Sara McMann.
Pena has a professional MMA record of 10-4, with three wins coming way by TKO and four by submission. On the other end, Nunes (21-4) hasn’t loss since 2014 and UFC 269 will be her sixth bantamweight title defense.
During her bantamweight hiatus, Nunes defended her featherweight title twice, defeating Felicia Spencer and in her most recent bout, Megan Anderson.
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Shevchenko Has Looked Nearly Unstoppable at Flyweight
GettyValentina Shevchenko poses on the scale during the UFC 247 ceremonial weigh-in at Toyota Center on February 07, 2020 in Houston, Texas.
Bullet is undoubtedly the greatest female UFC flyweight ever and possible the best-ever female 125 pounder. After losing to Nunes for a second time, Shevchenko dropped down to flyweight and won the title in her second fight.
She’s defended the belt six times, with her most recent win coming via TKO at UFC 266 in September 2021 when she defeated Lauren Murphy. She has a professional MMA record of 22-3, with eight wins coming via KO/TKO and seven by submission.
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Dana White Dismisses Mega-Fight: ‘Why Do It Again?’