Valentina Shevchenko questions Amanda Nunes’ decision to ponder a UFC comeback.
Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) retired as a two-division UFC champion after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023. Nearly two years later, “The Lioness” has admitted her interest in returning to the octagon – especially if Kayla Harrison is able to dethrone bantamweight champion Julianna Peña at UFC 316 on June 7 from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
UFC flyweight champion Shevchenko (25-4-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC) doesn’t like seeing Nunes going back on her word.
“I feel fighters, when they are not active anymore but they were at the top and had all this attention, they are missing this feeling,” Shevchenko told Inside Fighting. “That’s why you see many of the fighters, they have huge announcements of their retirement, but after a few years they miss the feeling of being in the fight, having this adrenaline, all this attention, and they say, ‘Why don’t I come back?’
“I feel that it a little bit devalues the word of retirement. I say Tony Ferguson did the most right thing when he put down only one glove. So, it means he’s retired, but he might come back. If you are not sure, you do the same, right? So, it’s not so big and huge words about retirement. At least your conscience that you follow your word or you not follow your word, it’s going to be clear, because I feel it’s not good when people not stand behind their words.”
Shevchenko lost to Nunes twice, with their 2017 rematch for the bantamweight title at UFC 215 ending in a split decision. The pair expressed interest in a potential trilogy, but the fight never materialized.
