Former two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes opened up on her past gym rivalry with Kayla Harrison.
After Amanda Nunes‘s induction into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, the former two-division titleholder could be on the verge of a return to the Octagon to face the Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison winner. A matchup with Harrison would reunite Nunes with one of her past training partners after a controversial leave from American Top Team.
Nunes retired from MMA after defeating Irene Aldana in her final women’s bantamweight title defense at UFC 289. But since her retirement fight, Nunes has repeatedly teased a comeback, potentially for a trilogy matchup with Pena.
But if Harrison dethrones Pena, tensions between Nunes and Harrison will move to the forefront after their past beef.
Amanda Nunes was ‘out of shape’ during past spars with Kayla Harrison
Nunes and Harrison trained together earlier in their combat sports careers at ATT, with Nunes messily leaving the gym and hinting at Harrison being the main reason behind the change. Before Harrison signed with the UFC last year, she long teased a potential matchup with Nunes, despite the latter not entertaining as much in the public.
During a recent interview with UFC Brasil, Nunes gave insight into training with Harrison at ATT before her departure.
“We didn’t have a partnership in the gym,” Nunes said. “There was no such thing, but we did some training here and there. I was out of shape, I was always traveling, coming back and doing some training. It wasn’t like we were always training [together] or I was in shape and training with Kayla. Never like that.
“It was always something random, but that’s it. I’m ready for anyone. I mean it.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
After Pena reclaimed the bantamweight throne at UFC 307, she called out Nunes for a trilogy, irking Harrison, who was backstage just minutes after her win. But Nunes is more likely to come back for a clash with Harrison versus a third fight with Pena.
Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison result could determine Amanda Nunes’s comeback plan
First things first for Pena and Harrison as they prepare to fight in the co-main event of UFC 316. After going 2-0 in her UFC tenure, Harrison is looking to cap off her MMA career with a UFC championship victory.
Pena defeated Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 in her first fight since her back-to-back clashes with Nunes. She pulled off the upset over Nunes at UFC 269 before falling in their rematch at UFC 277.
The women’s bantamweight division might get a much-needed boost if Nunes returns to the Octagon by year’s end. UFC 316 could finalize whether or not the UFC Hall of Fame inductee makes a comeback.