EDMONTON, Alberta -- Sometimes, the fight doesn’t play out like it reads on paper.
The UFC 215 main event between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Valentina Shevchenko figured to be a barnburner. After all, their first fight last year was exciting, and both have only gotten better since.
Instead, Saturday night’s rematch turned into a tactical affair, one in which several of the rounds could have been scored either way.
The champion, however, saved her best for last in the fifth, and that was enough to retain her crown.