Amanda Nunes Announces Comeback After Retirement from UFC

Newark, New Jersey — Amanda Nunes, the most dominant women’s fighter in UFC history, has announced her return from retirement. The former two-weight champion plans to fight the winner of the bantamweight title bout between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 on Saturday.

Nunes, 37, retired from MMA in June 2023 but has hinted at a possible comeback. During a fan Q&A on Friday, she expressed her excitement, saying, “I missed [fighting] so much. My baby is big now. She didn’t sleep much at night, and I was concerned about that because we fighters need sleep. But now, my baby is bigger and I’m ready to go. Kayla or Julianna, I’m going to be ready.”

The former champion and her partner, Nina Ansaroff, have two children, born in 2020 and 2023. UFC President Dana White has shown support for Nunes’s return, although the promotion has not confirmed if she will face the Peña-Harrison winner directly.

Nunes, nicknamed “The Lioness,” has a storied history with both Peña and Harrison. Peña shocked the MMA world with a submission victory over Nunes in 2021 before the latter bounced back to reclaim the title in a decisive rematch in 2022. Harrison, a former training partner of Nunes, is another competitor eager to face her.

“I’m here, I’m back,” Nunes declared. “The division is exciting. Now I’m going to jump in again, and it’s going to get even more exciting.” She added that she is healthy and ready to resume her career, stating, “I’m like really healthy, my weight is good, so why not?”

Nunes retired after a unanimous decision victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023, vacating her bantamweight and featherweight titles shortly after. With a professional record of 23-5, she has defeated several legends in the sport, including UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko.

The UFC has announced that Nunes will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. This induction, set for June 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will make her the third woman recognized in the Hall of Fame. “Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all-time,” Dana White remarked in an April news release about her election to the Hall of Fame.