Amanda Nunes explained her choice to leave American Top Team.
Following her historic upset loss to the current UFC women’s bantamweight queen Julianna Pena at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021, Nunes chose to leave ATT, her longtime training gym in Florida where she became a two-division champion.
Amanda Nunes opens up on leaving ATT
In an interview with Nikhil Sharma, reporting for Heavy, Nunes opened up about her decision to move away from ATT.
“This is something that I always wanted in my life before I retire, I wanted my space. This is something that I feel like every fighter wants to do one day, especially me that I’ve made so much history. We make so many things that on paper, I have.
“I was walking around the house one day and have all my, the things that UFC gives to you, all your stuff during the years, pictures, all your accomplishments, posters that I was on, all those things.
“I always wondered what I was going to do with that. Maybe help somebody with that, maybe help a couple of institutions so having my gym where I can see every day when I walk in, what I did in my life, all my historical moments being there. Those moments are very good. I always think where I’m going to put those things.
“I have to do something with all those things, I can’t leave them here like it’s nothing. It’s a lot of work that I did in my whole career. I have to put this on the wall and see these things every day.”
“I always had that thing to have my gym, to have my space. Even when I was at American Top Team, I always did my training separate. ATT’s a huge gym and I always used to make my time with the coach separate. The only thing that I did was just switch address. Now, I have my own space and I can really be able to walk in and say it’s mine.
Nunes is grateful for her time at the gym and feels it’s a natural progression in life.
“Some decisions that you make when the space is yours, you really need it to be yours. But like I say, ATT’s the gym where I became a champion. When I walked in to that gym the first time, I knew that was the gym where I’d become who I am today and now I’m here.
“So, I’m very grateful to be a part of the gym, all the coaches I worked there with, my training partners for so long that helped me. I’m very grateful to be a part and now, it’s like everybody.
“In any normal job, sometimes you just want to move on and it’s exactly what I did. I’m happy with the move I did and I never did something in my life that wasn’t going to be good for me. If I moved on, it’s because I needed it in that moment.”
Nunes backed Charles Oliveira over Islam Makhachev
When asked about who she sees coming out on top of the upcoming contest between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, Nunes backed her fellow Brazilian.
“Man, I think Charles is going to finish him. I think he’s going to finish him. He’s going to take the belt back. I feel like he’s on a good run right now and he has a lot of motivation. You can see from him if you talk to him if you see him. I feel like he’s on a good run so I feel like he’s going to win. I don’t see his opponent could beat him.
“If this fight goes to the floor or stays on the feet, I feel like Charles will have a lot more to offer, especially in striking, muay Thai, I feel he has a lot more. I don’t see the holes that his opponent can finish him. But a fight’s a fight. We always stay with our fingers crossed but I’m going for Charles “do Bronx.”
Amanda Nunes will rematch Pena at UFC 277 on July 30 in Dallas, Texas.
