“The Lioness” roars again.
There were plenty of storylines coming out of UFC 314—Alexander Volkanovski champion again! Patricio Pitbull bombs! Jean Silva is an insane person!—and somewhat lost in the shuffle was the announcement of Amanda Nunes returning to competition after retiring in 2023.
Perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising the former bantamweight and featherweight champion has decided to step back into the octagon, given that her initial retirement felt like it was more due to boredom than an inability to continue fighting at the highest level. Nunes, 36, has literally done it all in MMA and she’s had plenty to handle in her personal life as well as a mother of two. So it was always a matter of timing for her.
The time is now with Julianna Peña defending the bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 on June 7. No matter who wins, Nunes should be motivated. Peña scored a massive upset against Nunes at UFC 269 and despite being bludgeoned for five rounds in the rematch, Peña has never given up on calling out Nunes for a trilogy bout.
As for Harrison, the two-time PFL champion and former training partner of Nunes has long been considered the most intriguing test for the recently announced Hall of Fame inductee. If she gets past Peña, calls for a Nunes-Harrison fight will be deafening.
Check out the fan reaction to Nunes’ comeback announcement below.
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