Former two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes is widely regarded as one of the greatest female MMA fighters of all time. She retired from competition following her UFC 289 victory over Irene Aldana in June 2023, and rumors of a potential comeback have been circulating on the internet for some time.
Recently, the UFC announced that ‘The Lioness’ will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for her contributions to the growth of women’s MMA and the sport as a whole. This announcement was made during a recent UFC 314 event, which Nunes attended at cageside. As a short documentary chronicling her career and achievements was shown on the big screen in the arena, Nunes was overcome with emotion and broke into tears.
Check out Nunes’ immediate reaction to the Hall of Fame induction below:
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Nunes’ Hall of Fame induction comes at a time when the possibility of her return to MMA competition could be turning into reality.
Is Amanda Nunes coming back to the UFC?
Yes, Amanda Nunes has confirmed her decision to return to competition. After Nunes retired, the UFC women’s bantamweight title eventually went to former champion and rival Julianna Pena, who will attempt her first title defense against former PFL star Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 in June.
At the UFC 316 press conference, a journalist asked UFC CEO Dana White if he believes that Nunes will fight again. Nunes, who was present at the press conference, nodded her head multiple times to give a positive response.
Check out Amanda Nunes’ reaction below:
MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter later took to X and reported that Nunes confirmed her return to competition during a media scrum, stating that ‘The Lioness’ will face the winner of Pena vs. Harrison. He wrote:
“Amanda Nunes just did a scrum backstage where she definitively declared that she will return to face the winner of Pena vs. Harrison. She says that when she saw the belt at the press conference yesterday that she was looking at the fake belt and the real one is at her house.”
Before Nunes’ retirement, her potential clash against Harrison and trilogy fights against Pena and Shevchenko were deemed the most interesting matchups involving her. Her return to competition has opened the doors of opportunity for all three matchups.