- Amanda Nunes seems open to a possible UFC return
- “Lioness” said she still feels like a champion at 35
Amanda Nunes was in attendance at UFC 297 to see who’s gonna be the new women’s bantamweight champion. After the event, “Lioness” hinted at a potential UFC return.
Amanda has left the door open
Speaking to ESPN MMA, Nunes admitted that she felt “nervous” for some unknown reason as she witnessed Raquel Pennington become the new bantamweight champ after beating Mayra Bueno Silva. Nunes said it made her feel right about her decision to call it quits but on the other hand, she is also not closing the door for a potential comeback.
“I don’t know why but I was very nervous,” Nunes said. “It was mixed feelings. I was happy and sad. When I saw ‘Rocky’ [Pennington] with the belt, I was okay. I wasn’t upset or anything like that. I think I did the right decision retiring, resting a little bit.”
“I’m 35 now and now I am able to go back to Brazil, stay a little bit with my friends, family, enjoy and then see what happens, you know, I’m still young, fresh. We never know. We have a lot of things to do. I’ve got to figure out a bunch of things at home still, what I’m going to do and see what happens… I don’t know, we never know. I’m a fighter and this is my job. I love this so much, and I don’t know… But I’m still healthy and powerful, smart, think like a champion. I still feel like a champion, so we’ll see,” she added.
Julianna is still waiting
Nunes retired after defending her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289. It was a move that irked Julianna Pena as she believes “Lioness” owes her a trilogy match after going 1-1 against each other.
To this very moment, Pena is still waiting for Nunes to finally settle the score. With the Brazilian now teasing for a UFC return, the grudge match between the two could now be a possibility. However, Pena may need to dethrone Pennington first before Nunes pays attention to her.
Check out Nunes’ full interview below:
