Dana White reveals retired UFC GOAT could ‘come back’ for historic and big-money grudge match
DANA WHITE has revealed Amanda Nunes could make a shock return to the UFC – less than a year after her retirement.
The UFC‘s first and only female two-division champion called time on her Hall-of-Fame career last August after her sixth defence of the women’s bantamweight title against Irene Aldana.
Nunes, 36, laid down her gloves as she was left with no clear challengers after cleaning out the division.
But the recent arrival of her former American Top Team team-mate Kayla Harrison – who made her octagon bow in April – has sparked calls for her to fight again.
And White admits the greatest female fighter in MMA history could very well “come back” to the octagon.
During an appearance on The Club Shay Shay podcast, he said: “I love Amanda Nunes, we have an incredible relationship.
“She could come back, there’s a possibility she could come back.
“Again, a very unique individual in her own right.
“A very powerful woman who is looked at as the female GOAT now.”
Nunes teased a return moments after Harrison defeated former bantamweight champ Holly Holm at UFC 300.
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She posted a video of herself with Harrison’s post-fight interview playing in the background, with “Chama” – which is Portuguese and Brazilian slang for “let’s go” – written across it, on her social media pages.
Harrison hopes to lure fan favourite Nunes out of retirement by dethroning current bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington later this year.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, she said: “Amanda’s worst enemy is her own mind. I think that Amanda’s worst enemy is her own mind.
“She got it in her head that I was coming for her. I think after she lost to Juliana, she thought that I was going to get in the cage and challenge her, which was not true, not the case, not even near true.
“She thought that everyone at the team was against her. Again, not true, not the case.
“Everyone on the team was doing their best to keep us in separate organizations, even though I wanted to go [from the PFL to the UFC] then; I was like, ‘I’m out, let’s go.’
“I think they were still a 145 [division in the UFC]. I was like, ‘Come on, let’s do this.’
“So I think it just left a bad taste in her own mind.
” She just had this not true image of what was happening behind the scenes.
“And she didn’t really ask anybody, she just kind of assumed, and then she left, and I have no ill will toward Amanda.
“I think she’s great. She’s the GOAT for a reason. She’s awesome.
“I don’t think that the bad mouthing that she’s done about my team is fair or appropriate.
“And I don’t respect that, and I have personal beef with that, but other than that… .”