Amanda Nunes will un-retire to try to reclaim the belt that was as soon as hers within the UFC.
“The Lioness” is ready to be inducted to the UFC Corridor of Fame in late June, and by then she ought to already know who will likely be standing throughout the octagon for her return battle. Julianna Peña will defend her belt versus Kayla Harrison weeks earlier than, when UFC 316 lands in Newark on June 8.
A former two-division UFC champion, Nunes retired after dominating Irene Aldana in June 2023. She attended UFC 314 in Miami and mentioned on the UFC Fight Pass Brazil broadcast she’s “prepared for conflict” and hoping to grow to be “the primary one that’s left and got here again to win the belt once more.”
“It’s completely different for me to see issues from the surface and see my belt there,” mentioned Nunes, referring to Peña’s belt throughout the UFC 316 press convention in Miami. “It’s like that belt was simply fantasy, that the actual one is again residence with me. Seeing that solely motivates me. Allow them to battle one another after which I’ll come and take my belt and restore the calm.”
Nunes mentioned this isn’t a one and executed. In truth, she plans on profitable and defending the 135-pound championship. The Brazilian first received UFC gold in July 2016, stopping Miesha Tate at UFC 200, and defended it thrice in opposition to Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Raquel Pennington earlier than shifting as much as featherweight for a historic knockout over Cris Cyborg. In whole, Nunes went 11-1 in title bouts in a span of seven years, avenging her sole loss to Peña.
“Kayla or Julianna, I would like my belt again, and I’ll battle for it,” Nunes mentioned. “I’m pushed by challenges. I wish to battle for one thing. Kayla is powerful as hell, that’s the one I would like. It may very well be Julianna, cool. I fought her twice, I’ll battle her once more. Kayla is powerful, she’s coming now and is on a great stage, has good judo and nice grappling, she’s evolving on the toes, and that’s the one I would like. This new factor.”
Harrison trains at American High Staff in Florida, the fitness center that turned Nunes into UFC champion, and “The Lioness” has brazenly mentioned that was one of many major the explanation why she left the group.
“I used to be bothered by the entire state of affairs, after all,” Nunes told MMA Fighting back in 2022. “There have been no women after I received to American High Staff. I used to be the primary lady to convey two belts and put the ladies’s group in historical past. When Kayla received there after which [Yana Santos], it started making a bizarre state of affairs for me as a result of that was my territory. After which Kayla began speaking. I used to be form of, ‘Man, I’m not protected even in my territory.’ I used to be form of cornered, even as a result of we share the identical coaches. She trains with Mike Brown and I prepare with Mike Brown. I used to be already coaching with them when she received there.”
Nunes left ATT shortly after dropping to Peña, and dominated her to reclaim the title months later in 2022. On her interview with the UFC Battle Cross group Saturday, Nunes mentioned previous coaching periods with Harrison in Florida.
“We didn’t have a partnership within the fitness center,” Nunes mentioned. “There was no such factor, however we did some coaching right here and there. I used to be off form, I used to be at all times touring, coming again and doing a little coaching. It wasn’t like we have been at all times coaching [together] or I used to be in form and coaching with Kayla. By no means like that. It was at all times one thing random, however that’s it. I’m prepared for anybody. I imply it.”
