Amanda Nunes said no one has earned the chance more than herself to stand across the octagon from champion Miesha Tate and challenge for the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 200.

Nunes (12-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) might not be the biggest name or most attractive option with pay-per-view buyers, but with three consecutive victories, two of which came by first-round stoppage, she said no other fighter is worthy of going after Tate’s (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) belt at this time.

“I think I’m the only one that deserves this in the division right now,” Nunes today told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’m putting work in the cage and showing good fights and finishes. This is the best way to show everybody the contender, and I did.”

UFC 200 takes place July 9 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card, including Tate vs. Nunes, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the complete bout order is not set.

Tate, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s bantamweight rankings, captured the 135-pound belt with a stunning fifth-round submission of Holly Holm at UFC 196 in March. No. 6-ranked Nunes was given only an outside chance to fight for the belt next; there was talk Holm could get an immediate rematch or that Tate would wait for the impending return of former titleholder Ronda Rousey, who holds two victories over “Cupcake.”

Although there are conflicting stories about how the fight actually came together, Nunes was ultimately granted the chance to fight for UFC gold. She said that was the right decision since she doesn’t think Tate should fight Holm or Rousey again so soon.

“It’s cool of Miesha to give me the opportunity,” Nunes said. “She did it the right way. All the time there’s a rematch, a rematch. The other girls are never going to get the opportunity. If it’s only between Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, we are always going to be waiting. I think this is the best way.

“I got a little bit scared because I knew if Ronda come back, the UFC going to give it to her. But this didn’t happen, so I’m very happy now that I get the title shot. I’m not scared if Ronda comes back. Whatever happens, I’m going to fight.”

Nunes wants to make the most of her of her championship opportunity at UFC 200. In order to do that, she must correct the issues of past training camps. Nunes has received criticism for a lack of conditioning after some noticeable fatigue in the only two bouts of her career to make it to the third round.

Championship fights, of course, are five rounds. That’s something Nunes has never experienced before, and Tate knows well. Nunes doesn’t want to be at a disadvantage, she said, so she plans to take extra steps to assure she’s 100 prepared for a potential 25 minutes of competition.

“A lot of people say I get a little bit tired as a negative thing, but I live in Florida, and Florida is very humid and very dry,” Nunes said. “Fighting against Cat Zingano, I felt a lot of change with the weather. The (dryness) and everything. It doesn’t make any sense that I got tired in the third round because I’m training. I have the best training in the world. I have the best conditioning. I’m in the gym every day – every single day. It doesn’t make any sense that you get tired in the third round. For sure now I’m going to see, do some blood work (and) see what’s going on to see (what made) me tired.

“I don’t understand why I get tired. It happened with me twice with Cat and now with Valentina (Shevchenko). Now I have to figure out what is going on. For sure I’m going to be in Vegas maybe with a month to go before this fight with Miesha training there to see how I feel and to get comfortable with the weather there. At least with me, I don’t know if it’s happening with other fighters, but with me it happens. Vegas – so much (dryness) in Vegas.”

If Nunes wants the UFC title, she’s going to have to make sure she can put offense on Tate for as long as necessary. The UFC champ has proven to be perhaps the toughest and most resilient fighter in the division and has proven to be difficult to put away.

Nunes said if anyone can do it, though, it’s her. With 11 stoppages in 12 career victories, Nunes is familiar with ending fights early. There’s no doubt she will attempt to do the same with Tate, but she said it’s not going to be easy.

“Miesha can take a lot of punches and is still in the fight,” Nunes said. “I think this is the biggest difference between Miesha and the other opponents.”

For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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