Healthier Nunes claims to be ‘baddest woman on the planet’

The 48-second dismantling of Ronda Rousey during her first title defence last December now seems like a lifetime ago for bantamweight world champion Amanda Nunes, who met with media during a pre-fight press conference for UFC 215 in Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon.

The 29-year-old Brazilian was one of six fighters on hand at the three-month-old, state-of-the-art UFC Performance Institute to discuss the UFC’s next two pay-per-view extravaganzas, including No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko.

The fight, which is scheduled for September 9 in Edmonton, Canada is a rematch of sorts between the two rivals dating back to their first meeting in March 2016. That fight ended with Nunes having her hand raised after an unanimous decision.

Nunes parlayed that victory, along with two others since her last career loss suffered in 2014, into a successful championship fight in July of last year where she lifted the belt off Meisha Tate after submitting the champion in Tate’s first defence since winning the championship from Holly Holm four months earlier.

With Nunes laying waste to the division’s top tier, Shevchenko was back at the top of the contender list. However a scheduled rematch at UFC 213 last month was cancelled the morning of the fight due to health issues.

Although Nunes (14-4) claimed “chronic sinusitis,” Shevchenko (14-2) was adamant the champion called the fight off after falling ill due to a dramatic weight cut in the final days leading up to the fight in Las Vegas.

“I don’t believe her 100 percent,” said the 29-year-old Muay Thai specialist from Kyrgyzstan. “Only she knows the real reason she pulled out of the fight. I think she cut too much weight in 24 hours and that is why she was too weak to fight.”

While Shevchenko admits she is nervous about the potential repeat of a Nunes no-show, the champion assured media she is fully recovered and ready to fight.

“I feel 100 percent and this time nothing is going to stop me — I can’t wait,” said Nunes. “I took time off, went back to the gym and settled into my training schedule. I am fully recovered and ready to fight, ready for September.”

When asked about her return opponent, Nunes made it clear she’s eager to settle the score.

“Valentina is the only contender in this division now,” claimed Nunes. “This is the fight that I want and this is a huge challenge. This fight has to happen because all the things she talked about after the last fight and when I was sick. We need to clean this up.”

After seemingly ridding the UFC of Rousey, Eurosport asked Nunes if she felt the division was now her’s outright.

“I am the champ in this division,” Nunes told Eurosport. “I am the best. I will keep improving. I will get better, step in, put on a show, and walk away with my belt.”

When asked who was the “baddest woman on the planet” after defeating MMA’s most popular female fighter and original women’s UFC bantamweight champion, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was quick to reply: “I am.”

However, that doesn’t shake the “Bullet.”

“She has just two weeks to say things like this,” Shevchenko told Eurosport. “But after two weeks it will be [time to] fight. It is easy every time to speak, but when it’s time to fight, everyone has sinusitis.”