UFC champion Amanda Nunes has fans hoping for her return after posting a cryptic message on social media.
36-year-old Nunes retired in June 2023 after scoring a title win against Irene Aldana. The fighter made this decision so she could spend more time with her family. Although many are happy with the fighter’s retirement, her longtime rival Julianna Pena would like a trilogy bout with her. 35-year-old Pena recently battled Raquel Penningtone for the bantamweight title–which was vacated by Nunes—and won. After the impressive win, the fighter called out Nunes and asked for a rematch.
Following Pena’s callout, Nunes took to her social media and shared a video of herself dancing with a cryptic caption: “Oh Dana White, Please call me. I miss you so much… I can’t wait to see you.”
The post shocked many fans, and some wondered if the fighter would be making a comeback. UFC CEO Dana White was asked about his thoughts on the retired champion’s post in a post-fight press conference about
“She looks good,” White laughed at a Dana White’s Contender Series 75 post-fight news conference at the UFC Apex. “She looks great. It looks like she’s still in shape. You know where her head is at and I love that about her. There are a lot of things I love about her – and I love that about her. She’s keeping an eye on who wins the title next, and I think she’s teasing me that she might be interested in coming back.”
Since Nunes’ departure, there have been two title fights. The first was for the vacant strap at UFC 297 in January, during which Raquel Pennington claimed gold through a decision win over Mayra Bueno Silva.
Then, at Saturday’s UFC 307, Pennington lost the belt in a highly controversial split decision to Julianna Peña, a fighter who is 1-1 lifetime vs. Nunes.
