The UFC has inarguably given MMA the greatest individuals and performances in the sport. While many of them have retired and left their gloves behind for good, the possible return of a fighter from this special list has always made the MMA community lose its mind. From George St-Pierre to Anderson Silva, fans turn out to witness the greatest enter the Octagon again. With a possible return of ‘The Lioness’ on the horizon, the atmosphere is no different.
A clip from UFC 316 pre-fight press conference has taken over the internet like a storm. During a heated verbal exchange between the 135-pound division champion, Julianna Peña, and her challenger, Kayla Harrison, Dana White was asked whether Amanda Nunes would come out of retirement or not. And even before White could say anything, the camera turned to Nunes herself, who was in attendance—baby in hand—nodding ‘yes’ in excitement, to a crowd going wild.
While the UFC CEO and President could only smile and look at Nunes’ reaction, it seemed as if White could not resist but join the fans in excitement as he happily pointed his finger at ‘The Lioness’ and said: “Do I think Amanda Nunes fights again? She just said yes!”
Dana White is asked if Amanda Nunes will come out of retirement to fight in the UFC again
The camera panned over to Amanda who nodded her head
@UFCEurope #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/WLaipkMpgK
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 11, 2025
But that was not the only loud reaction to Nunes’ yes. The champion, Peña reminded the fans of her words, she said: “Me booing her in Canada was right because I knew that she was retiring too early, just like Dana said and just like you guys are all seeing, she’s not done! She’s just sitting there at the sidelines to see what happens because she didn’t wanna fight that trilogy fight that I was asking for.”
And while the prospect of the arguably the greatest female MMA star making her comeback had fans all excited, it also didn’t quite catch a certain UFC veteran’s fancy—at least not towards the fans in this case. So what’s the bone of contention for Chael Sonnen in this regard? Let’s find out.
“You don’t want to see her fight”– Chael Sonnen reminds the fans they always overlooked Amanda Nunes
While talking about Nunes’ potential return, UFC Legend Chael Sonnen came looking for what is a usual morning for him, a controversy. As the Bad Guy went off on the MMA community, he said: “It’s very polite to pretend that you want Amanda Nunez to come back. It’s very polite, I just, I’m not really sure why you’re doing it, you didn’t get excited when she was here the first time. You didn’t come out. You didn’t buy a t-shirt.”
He further added, “You wouldn’t watch the show because you didn’t buy the pay-per-view because, and now you’re pretending that you want her to come back and she’s the greatest of all time. I have also met her. She turns out she’s like a really really nice human being. In addition to that, it’s not a commentary on that. You don’t want to see her fight and you never did.”
Sonnen is obviously alluding to the fact that ‘The Lionness’ wasn’t appreciated by fans when she was active. It’s only since she’s left that fans feels, except for someone like Valentina Shevchenko, no new name in women’s MMA, or at least the bantamweight division, has been able to have the kind of impact Nunes had.
Amanda Nunes is no ordinary fighter, with a record of 17 wins and 3 losses in the UFC, she time and time again stood as the strongest individual in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the UFC and even defended the belt in both divisions. Nunes is a fighter who stands not only among the greatest female fighters but more importantly she has established herself as one of the greatest champions in the history of the UFC .
What do you think? Is Chael Sonnen right in denigrating fans for celebrating Amanda Nunes’ possible return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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