Amanda Nunes is returning to the UFC to take on new women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, and anyone else at the top of the division can get that smoke too.
Nunes retired from the sport in June 2023 after a one-sided win over Irene Aldana, her sixth successful bantamweight title defense. At the time her official reasoning was nerve damage in her legs, but now “The Lioness” said it was more about spending time with her cubs.
During ESPN’s UFC 316 post-event show, Nunes explained when she started to get the itch to compete again.
“Honestly, when my baby started sleeping through the night,” she said. “Honestly, I wanted to spend time with my new baby. She was so new and I was also burnt out. My last week, I literally looked to my friends and said, ‘I don’t wanna do this anymore. I wanna step away a little bit, rest my mind, my soul, my body. And maybe later if there’s a new girl or something exciting, I definitely come back.”
“So now we have Kayla Harrison,” Nunes concluded. “And I’m back. I’m definitely back.”
Nunes welcomes the overwhelming challenge that Harrison represents, which was sorely lacking in the back half of her championship reign.
“I like when the opponent can bring me fear, can bring me adrenaline,” Nunes said. “Kayla is one of of those kinds of fighters. This is how I show up, when you trap me with something. And I know Kayla is that kind of fighter. This is what I like to feel. I like being dangerous, threatened. This is how the lion comes out for me.”
Nunes took Harrison so seriously as a contender that she left American Top Team after Kayla became a fixture there. She still sounds a bit unhappy with how that all played out, and suggested Kayla only witnessed her at the gym when she was out of shape.
“Now we’re gonna see each other after a full time in camp, 100% strong as a lioness,” she declared. “And she’s gonna know exactly who I am inside the cage.”
“Now I do my own camp with my coach that I set up everything with. I’m gonna get in camp now full time. I was training here and there, but always in shape. And, honestly, like, November, December, am I gonna be ready to go.”
