If things had gone according to plan, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes would have taken on rival Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of last night’s anticipated UFC 213 card. Regrettably, Nunes took ill in the week leading up to the fight, and was ultimately forced out of the bout on the very day it was scheduled to occur.
In the wake of this withdrawal, Nunes has found herself under fire – particularly from UFC President Dana White, who suggested her affliction was mostly mental.
“You can’t make anybody fight,” White said. “She said, ‘I don’t feel right.’ I think it was 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. A lot of times we’ve had fighters who don’t feel right and other times they’re outright sick. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a situation like today where she was physically capable of fighting.”
Now, Nunes has taken to social media with a rebuttal to White’s comments:
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) July 9, 2017
“Everyone is wanting to hear my side so here it is….. I have chronic sinusitis , I have fought with it before but this time It didn’t work out, during the weight cut I was unable to breath and felt off balance from the pressure in my sinuses. I was not feeling well enough to risk getting punched in the head with such pressure. I was taken to the hospital after weigh ins and they only checked my blood and dehydration so cleared me based on that. The next day I went back and they did a CT scan and found a build up and I was prescribed antibiotics and referred to a specialist. I have never pulled out of a fight before. I am sorry to all my fans that came out to see me, I’ll make it up to you the next time I step in the cage. The fight is being rescheduled. I still want this fight. I still want this opponent. Thank you”
What did you think of Amanda Nunes withdrawal from UFC 213?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/9/2017.