Amanda Nunes is set to come out of retirement to try and win back her UFC title.
“The Lioness” will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in late June. By that time, she expects to know who she will face in her comeback fight. Julianna Peña is scheduled to defend her title against Kayla Harrison a few weeks prior, at UFC 316 in Newark on June 8.
Nunes, a former champion in two weight divisions, 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 wants to become “the first person to leave and return to win the belt again.”
“Seeing Peña’s belt from the outside is different,” Nunes said during the UFC 316 press conference in Miami. “It feels like that belt is just a fantasy, and the real one is at home with me. It motivates me. Let them fight, and then I will take my belt back and restore order.”
Nunes clarified that this is not just a one-time comeback. She intends to win and defend the 135-pound championship. She initially won the UFC gold in July 2016 at UFC 200, defeating Miesha Tate, and defended 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. Nunes`s title fight record is 11-1 over seven years, with her only loss avenged against Peña.
“Whether it’s Kayla or Julianna, I want my belt back and will fight for it,” Nunes stated. “Challenges drive me. I like fighting for something. Kayla is incredibly strong, and she’s the fight I want. Julianna is fine too; I’ve fought her twice and will again. But Kayla is strong, she’s on the rise, has excellent judo and grappling, and is improving her striking. She`s the 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 mentioned that this was a significant reason for her departure from the team.
“The situation bothered me, of course,” Nunes told MMA Fighting in 2022. “When I joined American Top Team, there were no women. I was the first woman to win two belts and make history for the women’s team. When Kayla and then [Yana Santos] arrived, it created an awkward situation for me because it felt like my territory. And then Kayla started talking. I felt like I wasn’t safe even in my own territory. I felt cornered because we share the same coaches. She trains with Mike Brown, and so do I. I was training with them before she got there.”
Nunes left ATT shortly after losing to Peña and then decisively defeated Peña in a rematch months later in 2022 to reclaim her title. In her recent interview with UFC Fight Pass, Nunes discussed past training sessions with Harrison in Florida.
“We didn’t have a partnership at the gym,” Nunes said. “There was no such thing, but we trained together occasionally. I was often out of shape, traveling, and would come back and train a bit. It wasn’t like we were constantly training together, or that I was in top shape and training with Kayla. It was always random. But that’s it. I’m ready for anyone, I mean it.”
