Former two-division Champion Amanda Nunes was seen in the front row of the presser for UFC 316, which sees women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña fight Kayla Harrison on June 7.
Even with Nunes’ retirement, UFC CEO Dana White predicted Nunes would return to MMA after walking away from the sport in June 2023.
Both Harrison and Peña seemed down to fight Nunes for her their respective next fights. Whether Nunes decides to come back remains to be seen, but it’s clear the intrigue for Nunes to return is there, even if it was just a simple head nod.
WILL THE LIONESS RETURN TO THE OCTAGON?! pic.twitter.com/NBpnyMKoZ5
— UFC (@ufc) April 11, 2025
Nunes and Peña fought twice – at UFC 269 and UFC 277. Both split their respective fights, but unfortunately, the trilogy never panned out.
Julianna Pena (red gloves) fights Amanda Nunes (blue gloves) in a women’s bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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“Here’s the thing that really chaps my a**,” Peña said on The MMA Hour last January.” “When I was at her last fight, I was booing because she was going into retirement and I was like, ‘Don’t go into retirement. We have literally the biggest fight in women’s history, a trilogy that’s never been done before. What are you doing saying you’re going to retire? What a joke.’”
“It’s in your hands” 👀
Sounds like @Amanda_Leoa wants another run at the title at either @VenezuelanVixen or @KaylaH after #UFC316👊 pic.twitter.com/MGUaz6snNL
— UFC (@ufc) April 11, 2025
“It warrants a boo, because she’s over there telling Megan Olivi that she’s coming out of retirement. So I was right, and it was ‘Mystic Peña’ once again. Like, they were going to get mad at me and all her fans are upset at me. ‘Why would you boo her? How dare you?’ But it’s like, how dare she? How dare she say that she’s retiring and then one women’s fight later now she’s saying she’s coming back. Get out of here.”
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For Harrison, it would finally reinvigorate a PFL-UFC rivalry if they were to fight to determine the best female fighter in the world, regardless of who that might be against.
Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
For now, only time will tell.
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