UFC 215: Amanda Nunes narrowly retains her title

Brazil’s Amanda Nunes retained her UFC women’s bantamweight title by the slimmest of margins after her cagey five-round bout with Valentina Shevchenko went all the way to the scorecards in Edmonton, Canada on Saturday night.

Nunes, 29, edged the fight by split decision after polling scores of 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 on the three judges’ scorecards. The champion was left relieved but her Kyrgyz challenger was livid.

The fight started slowly, with Nunes looking to conserve her energy and Shevchenko sitting back in the first round after temporarily dislocating a finger, but the action picked up in the second, with Shevchenko starting to counter the Brazilian world champion as Nunes looked to wear down the challenger.

The third round was particularly closely contested with both fighters having their successes and, after another competitive round in the fourth, Nunes landed two eye-catching takedowns in the final round to sway the fight in the eyes of two of the three octagon-side judges.

After the contest, a relieved Nunes explained: “I knew everything Valentina was going to bring tonight. I made sure I went to the gym and made sure I was sharp everywhere. I know at the end of the round she was the one getting tired, not me.

“I decided with my coach at the end of the round, let’s take her down. I know she’s going to be tired and I know I’m going to get it.”

By contrast, Shevchenko was incredibly upset at the decision: “I really don’t understand why the victory goes to the other side,” she said.

“For two takedowns? For all five rounds?

“She didn’t hit, not one time, not one punch. Nothing significant. Look at her face. Her nose is red from my punches and why she’s still [champion]? I really don’t understand.

And when UFC commentator Joe Rogan mentioned the possibility of a third fight between the pair, Shevchenko was adamant.

“I definitely will win this next fight,” she declared.

“I want this fight and I totally disagree why this decision goes to the other side. I disagree.”

The night’s co-main event saw former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos move one step closer to title contention at welterweight. The Brazilian produced a near-flawless display to submit top 10-ranked Neil Magny with a first-round arm-triangle choke.

And former Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medallist Henry Cejudo was also victorious, as he produced one of the performances of the night to knock out fellow former UFC title challenger Wilson Reis in their flyweight contest.