Amanda Nunes was hospitalized the morning of super fight before returning with controversial win

Just hours before Amanda Nunes’ scheduled rematch against Valentina Shevchenko in 2017, the Brazilian withdrew from the super fight after being hospitalized.

After a comprehensive win over Irene Aldana in 2023, Amanda Nunes decided to call it a day on her UFC career, walking away as arguably the greatest female fighter of all time.

However, just a few years later and ‘The Lioness’ is gearing up for her return to the sport after Kayla Harrison became the women’s bantamweight champion earlier this year.

Rumors have surfaced that the huge title fight between Nunes and Harrison will take place on the promotion’s first event of their new deal with Paramount, which begins in January, 2026.

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Nunes was hospitalized the morning of scheduled fight before returning with controversial win

Throughout her incredible career, Nunes has picked up some of the most impressive wins in women’s MMA history, and she has been involved in some big rivalries.

Potentially the most notable was against fellow great, Valentina Shevchenko. The two first met back in 2016 in what was only Shevchenko’s second UFC fight.

The Brazilian went on to win the fight via unanimous decision, handing ‘Bullet’ only her second loss in MMA at that point.

Her win over Shevchenko earned her a title fight against Meisha Tate, in which she went on to win in dominant fashion.

And after Shevchenko bounced back with two wins of her own, she earned herself a rematch against Nunes, who was reigning over the division.

The two were booked to fight each other at UFC 213 in 2017, but on the morning of the event, Nunes was shockingly hospitalized with chronic sinusitis and the fight was subsequently canceled.

Fortunately, though, the promotion rebooked the fight to take place just a few months later at UFC 215 in Edmonton, Alberta.

After five incredibly close rounds of action, come the end of the fight fans were split over who they thought won. And so were the judges as two judges scored the fight for Nunes, whilst the other judge believed Shevchenko did enough to win the fight.