Amanda Nunes

By FCF Staff

Although one of the three judges believed Valentina Shevchenko won last night’s headliner at UFC 215, Amanda Nunes is happy with how she performed during the five round battle.

Nunes retained the bantamweight title at the Edmonton, Alberta card, with scores of 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47. While speaking to the FOX Sports 1 team afterwards, the Brazilian star had this to say about her performance (quote via FOX Sports 1 press release):

“I’m a new champion. I have to evolve a lot. This was my first five round fight. I think I did really well. People thought I couldn’t do five rounds.”

“My strategy was to be calm, do the work and then get the takedowns. The first kick, I hurt my feet and had to slow down. I finished the fight strong and kept my belt.”

“I had to save the energy to get it in the fifth round. I didn’t want to expend my strength. Now I know I can get in the fifth round, and I’ll come more aggressive.”

Saturday marked the second time Nunes has defeated Shevchenko, as she earned a unanimous decision win over the latter in March, 2016.