Amanda Nunes is set to return to the UFC after a three-year retirement to face Julianna Peña in a bantamweight title bout at UFC 334, scheduled for Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The announcement confirmed the long-anticipated comeback of the Brazilian fighter, who left the sport in 2023 as the most successful woman in mixed martial arts history.
Nunes, 38, ended her career with a record of 23 wins from 28 fights, including 13 knockouts. She remains the only woman to have held UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously and the only fighter, male or female, to defend both belts successfully. Her dominance in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions included victories over Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Valentina Shevchenko.
The rivalry with Peña, 36, who dethroned Nunes in one of UFC’s biggest upsets, was rekindled when Nunes regained the bantamweight title from Peña at UFC 277. Nunes had stepped away from the sport feeling she had “completed MMA,” but the arrival of Kayla Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medallist turned MMA fighter, reignited her competitive fire.
“When Kayla signed with the UFC and I saw the division with some new girls it excited me,” Nunes said. “Because I cleaned both divisions and didn’t have anything to do anymore. That was when I was sure I wanted to do this again.” Harrison, who joined the UFC in 2024 and won the bantamweight title in her third fight, was originally scheduled to fight Nunes in January. The bout was postponed after Harrison underwent neck and spinal surgery.
Their renewed showdown at UFC 334 has drawn attention as one of the most significant women’s fights in UFC history. The pair are friends and former training partners from American Top Team Gym, where Nunes trained until 2022.
Nunes has expressed eagerness to return not just for personal reasons but to help elevate women’s MMA, which she feels has lost momentum since her departure. “I got upset when I left because I wanted to see the division grow. Back in the day, we put in so much work to this division,” she said. “This is my work here, I want to make women’s MMA great, I want the UFC proud of us, so when I saw it slowing down I was a little sad and I got the itch. I want to jump back in and bring it back again.”
During her break, Nunes spent more time with her partner Nina and their two daughters but admitted she missed competition. She plans to continue fighting beyond the Harrison match “until my body tells me.”
Nunes’ career is marked by 11 title fight wins, tied for the most in UFC women’s history alongside Valentina Shevchenko. She has headlined numerous major events, including UFC 200 in 2016 and UFC 277 when she regained the bantamweight belt. Since her retirement, women have headlined only one of 43 UFC numbered events, underscoring the division’s struggle for prominence.
At UFC 334, Nunes will enter the cage not as a challenger but as the reigning double champion, determined to prove who the best woman in MMA is. “There’s no hate. It’s about the challenge Kayla brings and how great this will be for women’s MMA,” she said. “We want to prove who the best girl is in the cage.”
According to BBC Sports.
