Amanda Nunes is preparing to come out of retirement and fight for her old UFC title once more.
Known as “The Lioness,” Nunes is scheduled to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in late June. By that time, she expects to know who her opponent will be for her comeback fight. Julianna Peña is set to defend her title against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 in Newark on June 8, weeks before Nunes`s Hall of Fame induction.
Nunes, a former champion in two UFC weight classes, retired after a dominant victory over Irene Aldana in June 2023. She attended UFC 314 in Miami and stated on the UFC Fight Pass Brazil broadcast that she is “ready for war” and aims to become “the first person to leave and return to win the belt again.”
Referring to Peña`s belt during the UFC 316 press conference in Miami, Nunes commented, “It`s different seeing things from the outside and seeing my belt there. It`s as if that belt is just a fantasy, and the real one is at home with me. Seeing it only motivates me. Let them fight, and then I will come and take my belt back and restore order.”
Nunes clarified that this is not a one-off return. She intends to win and defend the 135-pound championship. Nunes initially captured UFC gold in July 2016 at UFC 200 by defeating Miesha Tate and went on to defend it three times against Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Raquel Pennington. She then moved up to featherweight and achieved a historic knockout against Cris Cyborg. In total, Nunes had an 11-1 record in title fights over seven years, avenging her only loss to Peña.
“Kayla or Julianna, I want my belt back, and I will fight for it,” Nunes asserted. “I am driven by challenges. I like to fight for something. Kayla is incredibly strong, and she is the one I want to face. If it’s Julianna, that’s fine too. I’ve fought her twice, and I’ll fight her again. Kayla is strong, she’s coming up now and is at a high level, with good judo and excellent grappling. She’s also improving her striking, and that’s the exciting new challenge I’m looking for.”
Harrison trains at American Top Team in Florida, the same gym where Nunes became a UFC champion. Nunes has openly mentioned that this was a significant factor in her decision to leave the team.
“The whole situation bothered me, of course,” Nunes told MMA Fighting in 2022. “When I joined American Top Team, there were no other women. I was the first woman to win two belts and make history for the women’s team. When Kayla arrived, and then [Yana Santos], it started creating a strange dynamic for me because it felt like my territory. And then Kayla started talking. I felt like, ‘Man, I’m not even safe in my own territory.’ I felt cornered, especially because we share the same coaches. She trains with Mike Brown, and I train with Mike Brown. I was already training with them when she got there.”
Nunes left ATT shortly after her loss to Peña and then decisively defeated Peña in a rematch months later in 2022 to reclaim her title. In her recent interview with the UFC Fight Pass team, Nunes discussed past training sessions with Harrison in Florida.
“We didn’t have a partnership at the gym,” Nunes explained. “There was nothing like that, but we did train together occasionally. I was often out of shape, traveling, coming back, and doing some training. It wasn’t like we were consistently training together or that I was in top shape and training with Kayla. Never like that. It was always random, but that’s it. I’m ready for anyone. I mean it.”
