Dana White says he would ‘absolutely love’ to see Amanda Nunes return to the UFC.
Nunes is one of the greatest female fighters in the history of Mixed Martial Arts.
Nunes is arguably the greatest female fighter of all timeGetty
During her 15-year career, she was victorious over former UFC champions including Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Cris Cyborg.
In December 2018, ‘The Lioness’ became the first woman to hold two titles in the UFC after she knocked out Cyborg in 51 seconds at UFC 232.
The Brazilian would go on to defend both featherweight and bantamweight belts on two separate occasions, before shockingly dropping the latter to Julianna Pena three years later at UFC 269.
Pena won a controversial decision over Raquel Pennington as part of the co-main event at UFC 307 on Saturday, reclaiming the belt she had lost in an eventual rematch with Nunes in July 2022.
After the bout, Pena was expected to have a go at Kayla Harrison – the Olympic Gold medalist who fought earlier on the card – as she is the most likely opponent for her to defend the title against next.
However, the new champion snubbed Harrison, instead calling for a trilogy fight against ‘The Lioness’, stating the Brazilian has unfinished business inside the octagon.
Nunes hasn’t appeared in the octagon since July 2023, when she beat Irene Aldana by unanimous decision over five rounds.
She proceeded to announce her retirement after the fight at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, walking out on the UFC holding, yet again, with two of their prestigious belts.
When asked about an Instagram video Nunes posted after UFC 307, White was strong on his opinion about the former two-division champion.
“She looks good, she looks great. Looks like she’s still in shape,” White said to the media after another week of his Contender Series.
Nunes KO’d Holly Holm with a devastating high kick at UFC 239Getty Images – Getty
“So you know where her head’s at and I love that about her. There’s a lot of things I love about her, I love that about her. She’s keeping an eye on who wins the title next and I think she’s teasing that she might be interested in coming back.”
White’s Contender Series gives the opportunity for up-and-coming fighters to earn a contract with the UFC.
The ninth week of season eight took place on Tuesday as ten fighters contested in five bouts to perform for a contract with White’s promotion.
The highlight of week nine was a light heavyweight bout between Islem Masraf and Artem Vakhitov.
Vakhitov is a former kickboxer and the last man to beat current UFC champion Alex Pereira in that sport.
Nunes’ video on social media shows her dancing and singing along to a Brazilian samba song called ‘Outdoor’.
In the video, which has White tagged, the Brazilian gives her own rendition of the songs with one of the lines translating to, ‘Dana White, please call, I miss you so much…’
The last encounter between Pena and Nunes was brutalGetty
When questioned if he would allow Nunes to make a return to the octagon after walking out on the promotion, White left no doubt that Nunes could do it if she wishes.
“I love Amanda Nunes,” he added. “I have an incredible relationship with her. I would absolutely love to see her come back.”
The women’s featherweight division is really hotting up following the events at UFC 307.
Many MMA fans, including UFC legend Gilbert Burns, were quick to comment on Pena’s decision victory over Pennington in the co-main event.
“Wow robbery”, Burns said on X.
Former UFC and current PFL middleweight Derek Brunson agreed, laughing at the decision on the same platform.
Harrison also spoke about the decision this week, saying she was surprised at the result and felt bad for Pennington.
