Amanda Nunes: I Have To Keep Winning & Put On A Show
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has quietly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the 135-pound division, although she hasn’t received as much attention as she likely deserves.
The “Lioness” has picked up back-to-back stoppage victories over bantamweight greats Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey, but she knows she has to ‘keep winning’ and keep putting ‘on a show’ in order to receive the recognition of a championship level fighter:
“Everybody knows how it was with the Ronda promo,” Nunes laughed. “I think I got more attention against Miesha than when I defended my belt, when I was champion. I got more attention when I was the challenger than when I was the champion,” she told UFC.com. “I still have to keep proving myself, I have to keep winning and put on a show. It’s not going to be easy — it takes time until people realize ‘she’s the real deal’ or whatever they’re gonna think. It’s long, but one day people will think I’m the best here.”
Nunes will once again headline a pay-per-view event during International Fight Week this year, as she’s set to rematch top contender Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of UFC 213 this weekend (July 8, 2017) from Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s just another step on the journey for Nunes, but that doesn’t seem to bother her:
“I think the thing that I have to show is that I can keep evolving and winning fights, but I’m okay with that,” she added. “My whole life has been like that. This thing doesn’t bother me because it is what it is. If you have to go through this, I’m stronger for going through this.”
Do you expect Nunes to continue her winning streak against Shevchenko?
