Amanda Nunes To Return In 2018 After Sinus Surgery

UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes successfully defended her title last night at UFC 215 with a split decision win over Valentina Shevchenko and then revealed that she’s still suffering from sinus issues that had forced her to pull out of the rematch on short notice just a few months ago.

“I’m still very bad,” a stuffy sounding Nunes told reporters at the post-fight press conference.  “I’m still very congested but I had to push this fight. I can’t hear this girl anymore. The doctors suggested you have to do this surgery, you can’t fight like that.

“I wanted to shut this girl up. [The doctor] tried to help me do everything to get in there, he got me almost 100-percent.”

Nunes went on to reveal that travelling at altitude exacerbates her condition and it’s left her in no doubt that she now needs an operation to fix the problem.

“The thing happens with me when I travel, the altitude get everything back and I have to do the surgery. Now the first thing when I’m back home, I’m going to do it for sure.”

The champion also appeared to rule out the possibility that she’ll fight again this year.

“I think I’m going to take some time off cause this is breathing, I have to take care of that. Sometimes I’m not able to sleep at night. I have to take care of this moving forward.

“I think I’m going to take a break and then next year I will come back.”

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.