UPDATED (6 p.m. ET): Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker’s interim middleweight title fight now is the UFC 213 main event after Amanda Nunes withdrew from her bantamweight championship bout against Valentina Shevchenko with an illness.
ORIGINAL STORY: Amanda Nunes defeated Valentina Shevchenko 16 months ago to earn a shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight title. They’ll meet again Saturday night in Las Vegas at UFC 213, with Nunes now the champion and Shevchenko a well-respected challenger out for revenge.
Nunes clubbed Miesha Tate to win the belt, then dominated Ronda Rousey to keep it, but Shevchenko took the Lioness to three full rounds before losing in a unanimous decision. That leads some to believe Bullet might have the upper hand in a five-round bout, should Saturday’s meeting go that far.
Nunes-Shevchenko 2 is the co-main event at T-Mobile Arena, with Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker’s interim middleweight title fight also topping the card. The winner likely will face Michael Bisping for the unified belt, but he’s still focused on fighting Georges St-Pierre, seemingly unimpressed with the prospect of facing Romero or Whittaker. Maybe Saturday’s fight will change the champ’s mind.
You can watch UFC 213 online by ordering the fight through NESN.com at the link below.
When: Saturday, July 8, at 7 p.m. ET (main card starts at 10 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: Pay-per-view via NESN.com
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
