Valentina Shevchenko makes pick for Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes superfight

On December 29, in the co-main event of UFC 232, UFC women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes will move up to the featherweight division to battle seeming unstoppable featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. In the eyes of Valentina Shevchenko, who recently captured the UFC women’s flyweight belt, Nunes is probably in for a tough night in this UFC 232 fight.

Valentina Shevchenko made her prediction for this fight on a recent episode of MMAjunkie Radio.

Having trained with Cyborg, Shevchenko has seen how the featherweight champion trains first-hand. She seems very impressed with the featherweight champion’s cardio, and believes this could be the difference-maker in the fight.

“Cris has an advantage in her endurance – a very huge advantage, because she’s training like a fanatic,” Shevchenko said. “And most important, she’s not tiring.

“In the morning, she runs marathons, and after marathons, she comes to training and does her work hitting pads and sparring. She doesn’t get tired. She has the power to move forward. So in this fight, I will support Cris.”

Valentina Shevchenko, of course, has fought Amanda Nunes twice previously, losing both fights by decision — but by a very close margin.

While she is currently focused on her reign as UFC flyweight queen, it’s clear that she feels she has unfinished business with Nunes.

“I still have unfinished business with my opponent at bantamweight (Amanda Nunes),” Shevchenko said at the UFC 231 post-fight press conference, shortly after she defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk to capture the vacant flyweight title. “I know exactly I never lost that fight, and she knows that she was not the winner of that fight. And we’ll see, we’ll see.”

What do you think of this prediction from Valentina Shevchenko? Who do you think will win when Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes step into the cage together at UFC 232?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 12/20/2018.