UFC CEO Dana White was all smiles during the UFC 316 press conference at Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday. Who can blame him? Amanda Nunes says she’s coming back to fight in the UFC and will likely take on the winner of Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison.
Not only were White and the UFC there hyping what looks like an electric fight card headed for Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center on June 7, he also had Nunes on hand for the presser confirming her impending return to the UFC Octagon.
During the presser, amidst Peña and Harrison’s back-and-forth exchanges, someone asked if Nunes was going to fight again. Nunes, who was in the crowd, nodded her head, ‘yes.’ White confirmed, “she just said yes.” And when the camera panned to Nunes capturing her acknowledgment, the crowd roared.
Peña launched into a self-affirming rant dating back to her beef with Nunes (whom she split two fights with). The cheers quickly turned to boos. Here is a look at the situation as it unfolded during the presser.
You can watch the full presser here.
That moment might have been the most tame of the half-hour presentation. Peña chided Harrison the entire time, calling her “a weight bully,” and facetiously asked about the latter’s well-being, noting her struggles to get down to 136 pounds.
Peña accentuated the perceived struggle for Harrison to drop the additional pound needed to make championship weight for the June 7 battle. Harrison’s weight cut will be one of the biggest stories of fight week when UFC 316 rolls around.
Nunes’ return to the Octagon has been teased and rumored for nearly a year. White has said multiple times that he believed Nunes retired too soon. Perhaps she agrees with him.
Nunes will be 37 next month. When she walked away from competition in June 2023 following a unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289, Nunes was the reigning women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion.
She’d avenged her submission loss to Peña in December 2021 with a unanimous decision win over the Venezuelan Vixen in July 2022. Though she’ll be 37 and battling some Octagon rust by the time she’s ready to return, Nunes’ presence will add some much-needed presence to the women’s bantamweight division.
Ever since she retired, the division has been without a chase element. Raquel Pennington won the vacant title in a lackluster fight against Mayra Bueno Silva, and Peña narrowly defeated her to claim the championship back.
Harrison’s rise has been intriguing, and she does have legit star power. However, there is legitimate concern about her ability to safely cut down to 135 pounds consistently. Consider Nunes’ age and inactivity, Peña’s age (35) and the fact that she has made it clear she wants to retire soon, along with Harrison’s struggles to make 135, and it is clear—the long-term outlook on the women’s bantamweight division isn’t all that promising.
Nunes’ return will provide a temporary bump in interest, but it doesn’t solve the division’s more long-term concerns.