For FloCombat via A.G Fight

UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is booked for the first rematch of her MMA career.

Facing former and now present rival Valentina Shevchenko, the Brazilian will not only put her title on the line but also bragging rights in an unprecedented climate of rivalry that the champ hasn't been known for so far. And despite criticism of her behavior at a recent press conference where Nunes appeared to have shoved Shevchenko on stage, 'The Lioness' has assured that trash talk will not be the norm from now on. Unless it makes sense.

"I'm not here to please anyone, there are people who say that I was arrogant, (but) I don't care about their comments, I don't go on the internet very much, I take a short look and then I leave.", Nunes told reporters in Las Vegas this week."

Set to co-headline UFC 213 on July 8 at Las Vegas' T-Mobile-Arena, Nunes will round off the most successful year of her career so far, earning the belt with a submission win against Miesha Tate at UFC 200 before knocking out superstar Ronda Rousey in under a minute in December. Despite her recent triumphs, Nunes was accused of being afraid by her old and new foe, who said that the champion was ducking her after a close first fight.

"No matter what happens, I'm going to fight, I'm not afraid of anyone", Nunes responded to Shevchenko. "It doesn't make sense to be a champion and be afraid... I'm the champion, the people have to respect (me)... I've been on the other side, I've been the challenger, I worked hard (…). I respect the moment. I would never disrespect the champion, she is there for a reason. I was waiting for my moment. I think people have to respect the champion. This is why I'm going to discipline this girl, I'm going to show her that she has to wait for her moment. This is my moment.

"Through that angle [on television] it's hard to see, people just saw my hand and I was reputed to be evil", Nunes recalled the controversial press conference before UFC 211 last week. "No, she was the one who started it all. But that's part of the show and if someone didn't want to watch this fight before, now they will want (to do) it. We will remember this fight because I did it with her. And this is one of the good things about MMA, we can make fans excited. This time, this fight is not going to the judges, I will finish this fight before (the last bell)."

When the two fighters met for the first time in March 2016, Nunes won a unanimous decision thanks to an early lead before fading in the later rounds and almost costing herself the fight. Despite her past conditioning problems, the Brazilian ensured that she has overcome the difficulty of dealing with the hot and dry Las Vegas climate and says that she is ready for the challenge.

"I'm not making excuses, but I really got tired in the third round of that fight", Nunes admitted. "I'm trying to fix it, I've been training hard, I love training and I'm disciplined enough, I always want to be involved (…). I say that I am always surprising people and that night everyone will have another surprise. I will continue to make history in this division until I decide to do something different in the UFC -- such as changing weight classes. No one in this division can beat me and I will prove it." 

FloCombat's hottest content, delivered to your inbox

Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloCombat mailing list today.