Amanda Nunes is back in the UFC, ending her retirement after a year. She says Kayla Harrison's arrival motivated her return.

What happened?

Nunes retired in 2023 to spend time with her family, but the urge to fight returned quickly.

Why it matters for Amanda Nunes

Kayla Harrison joining the UFC pushed Nunes toward a return, making her comeback feel unavoidable as she prepared for UFC 324.

Amanda Nunes tried hard to stay away from fighting for a year, but the thoughts continued to grow stronger. Then Kayla Harrison signed with the UFC, and everything clicked.

Nunes knew it was meant to be – her retirement was ending, whether she initially planned it or not. She said, “One year passed by, and I was kind of looking at Nina around the house like ‘Nina, I cannot stay away.’ I tried so hard for one year. The thoughts started being stronger, and Kayla signed with the UFC. This is just meant to be.”

What comes next?

Harrison immediately started eyeing fights with Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg because those were the names needed to reach all-time great status. ‘The Lioness’ understood that ambition completely.

But there was a problem: they trained at the same gym. Nunes said whenever they were both there, they’d partner up, but it was never awkward initially. Training together worked fine at first.

Things changed when Harrison began publicly calling out Nunes, even though they were still training partners at the gym. Nunes felt uncomfortable with someone challenging her publicly while trying to train alongside her daily.

Dana White called Harrison vs Nunes the greatest women’s fight ever. He hyped Harrison as an Olympic gold medalist in judo, has dominated everyone she has faced, and won a world title in another promotion before coming to the UFC.

Nunes never lost her belt. She retired as the champion. Coming back to fight the woman who took the belt after she left makes it personal for her, not just about winning.

This will be Harrison’s first title defense, and it is against the fighter whose legacy she wants to match. Beating Nunes would prove she is the real champion.

Amanda Nunes is ready for her return fight, seeking to reclaim her title and prove her legacy as the greatest female fighter. The stage is set for a thrilling matchup between two of the best female fighters in the UFC.