“The Lioness” is coming back to roar in the octagon.
UFC 314 was packed with exciting moments, including Alexander Volkanovski`s dominant win, Patricio Pitbull`s explosive performance, and Jean Silva`s wild fight style. Amidst all the action, a significant announcement may have been slightly overlooked: Amanda Nunes is returning to MMA after retiring in 2023.
It might not be entirely unexpected that the former champion in two weight classes (bantamweight and featherweight) is stepping back into competition. Her initial retirement seemed to stem more from a lack of new challenges than from declining skills. At 36 years old, Nunes has achieved almost everything in MMA and has also been busy with family life as a mother of two. Therefore, her return was always likely to be a matter of finding the right moment.
That moment appears to be now, especially with Julianna Peña scheduled to defend her bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 on June 7th. Regardless of who wins that fight, Nunes will have a compelling motivation to compete. Peña famously upset Nunes at UFC 269, and despite a decisive loss in their rematch, Peña has consistently called for a third fight against Nunes.
Kayla Harrison, a two-time PFL champion and former training partner of Nunes, has long been considered a fascinating potential opponent for Nunes, who was recently announced as a Hall of Fame inductee. If Harrison defeats Peña, the demand for a Nunes versus Harrison super fight will be overwhelming.
Tyron Woodley recently brought up his rap song from 2018, which sparked some humorous reactions online.
