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Amanda Nunes has returned in a bid to reclaim her women's bantamweight throne. To do so, she must defeat the winner of the title fight between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison, who co-headline UFC 316. In a recent interview with Scott Fontana, 'The Lioness' expressed a true desire to compete again.
It was already known that she would face the winner of the UFC 316 co-main event, but she has taken the time to reaffirm the narrative. She is fully committed to MMA after two years away from the sport, and is eager to overcome the challenge that's ahead of her, whether that's Peña or Harrison.
"I'm here. I'm back, and the division is a lot, like, exciting, you know? And now I'm gonna jump in again, it's gonna get even more exciting. So, having a couple of new girls, and Julianna, Kayla. I feel like they definitely motivate me."
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Check out Amanda Nunes reaffirming her commitment to fighting again (9:36):
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Nunes' return adds a new complexion to the bout between Peña and Harrison. Not only is the women's bantamweight title on the line, but so is an opportunity to fight the greatest women's fighter of all time in what would easily be the biggest WMMA fight the UFC can schedule in 2025.
Nunes has made it clear that she would prefer to face Harrison, as the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka presents a fresh challenge, having already faced Peña twice before. Nevertheless, she has promised to be equally motivated regardless of who emerges victorious come fight night.
Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña are 1-1 apiece
The first time Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña locked horns was at UFC 269. Ahead of the fight, no one gave 'The Venezuelan Vixen' a chance. Nunes was a dominant force in WMMA, and Peña was an underachiever who struggled to put together basic win streaks. Yet, when they met, the improbable happened.
Through grit and a clever gameplan to neutralize Nunes' jab, Peña kept her foe's power punches at bay, eventually tiring her out and submitting her in round two to become champion in the biggest WMMA upset ever.
Check out Amanda Nunes' rematch with Julianna Peña:
They faced each other in a rematch at UFC 277, which could not have gone more differently. This time, Nunes dominated Peña with ease, knocking her down several times en route to a unanimous decision win.
