Amanda Nunes Announces Her Return From Retirement
The legendary Amanda Nunes, considered the most dominant female fighter in UFC history, has confirmed her return from retirement.
Nunes, who retired in June 2023, plans to face the winner of the 135-pound bantamweight championship bout between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison at UFC 316. The former two-division UFC champion, Nunes, 37, will be present at UFC 316 in Newark.Nunes and her partner, former UFC champion Nina Ansaroff, have two children, born in 2020 and 2023.I miss fighting a lot. My baby is already big. I didn’t sleep much at night and I was worried about that because fighters need to sleep. But now, my baby is bigger and I’m ready to come back. Kayla or Julianna, I’ll be ready.
Amanda Nunes
Nunes has history with both fighters who will face each other for the title this Saturday. Peña achieved one of the biggest upsets in UFC title fight history by submitting Nunes for the belt in 2021. The UFC scheduled an immediate rematch, and Nunes dominated Peña in a five-round decision. Harrison is a former sparring partner and teammate of Nunes at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.
Nunes was the undisputed pound-for-pound number one in the world at the time of her retirement. On Friday, she expressed her hope that the long-reigning pound-for-pound number one male fighter, Jon Jones, postpone his imminent retirement long enough for them to compete on the same card again. They co-headlined cards in 2018 and 2019.
I would love to fight on the same card [as Jones]. That would be amazing. I always have good luck when Jon is on the card. I hope he hears that.
Amanda Nunes
