Amanda Nunes is the most accomplished women’s fighter in UFC history, and she is not ready to call it a career just yet.
The 37-year-old announced she is coming out of retirement to take on the winner of last night’s 135-pound championship bout between Kayla Harrison and Julianna Peña. Harrison won the Bantamweight Title at UFC 316 via submission in the second round during the co-main event.
Nunes stepped into the ring immediately following the fight to confirm her intentions of creating arguably the most anticipated women’s fight in UFC history. Harrison and Nunes expressed their respect for each other and desire to make the fight happen, complete with a face-off in the ring.
The exact date, location, and details of the fight are still to be determined. But there is sure to be plenty of buzz building up to the event, and opening odds have dropped on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Current Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison opens as a -162 favorite to win the fight. The 34-year-old has advanced her career record to 19-1, with her lone professional loss coming against Larissa Pacheco in November 2022.
Nunes last fought on June 10th, 2023, when she defeated Irene Aldana before entering retirement. The former dual-weight champion holds an overall professional record of 23-5. She was the consensus pound-for-pound best female fighter in the world at the time of her retirement. Nunes holds the UFC record for the longest combined UFC title reign and most combined title defenses by a woman in UFC history. She is also tied with Anderson Silva for the fourth most title fight wins in UFC history and tied with Cris Cyborg for the most wins in UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship fights.
The biggest hurdle that must be cleared before an official fight announcement is Nunes clearing the drug screening. She has been out of the normal testing protocols due to her retirement, so will essentially be starting from scratch in regards to the required procedures. Sometime between October and December seems to be the tentative target timeline for the fight. There is sure to be plenty more updates and buzz as the details begin to be established.
