UFC president, Dana White doesn’t see the need in making the trilogy fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko.
After Shevchenko scored a second-round TKO over Jessica Andrade at UFC 261, many wondered what would be next for her. She has been dominating all her opponents at flyweight and many pointed to the trilogy bout with Nunes. However, White says he doesn’t think there is a need to make it.
“(They should have) their own legacies,” White said after UFC 261. “They fought a couple times. People can think whatever they want. There’s always going to be somebody else coming up (to challenge Shevchenko). There’s always a new contender. And it’s not Valentina’s fault that she’s one of the all-time baddest women on this planet. So making her move up to 135 pounds just doesn’t make sense when she did it twice.
“If they both come to me and they both want to do it, then whatever – I’ll make it happen,” White continued. “But it’s not something I’m thinking about.”
Although Dana White doesn’t like the fight, both Shevchenko and Nunes are running out of options. If Nunes defeats Julianna Pena, she too would be out of options at bantamweight and featherweight.
Yet, for Shevchenko, she believes the trilogy fight will happen soon.
“My career is not going to be over soon,” Shevchenko said. “I plan to fight for a long time. This fight is just going to happen. I’m not going to push it and say, ‘Give me Amanda right now. I’m going to break her face.’ This fight is just going to happen. It’s going to happen just naturally when everyone feels like, ‘There’s no more. Only this fight makes sense for everyone’ – when the fans, when the UFC when Dana White thinks we need this fight.
“When it’s time to happen, it’s going to be something big and huge – and I’ll be ready for it. I’m all ready for it – but I’ll be sure to gain some pounds back.”
