The Lioness is poised to obtain the UFC’s prime honor, however she’s hungry for extra.
Amanda Nunes, the previous two-division UFC champion who retired from combating practically two years in the past and is taken into account by many to be the ladies’s MMA GOAT, was introduced Saturday evening in Miami as the most recent member of the UFC Corridor of Fame’s Class of 2025.
The announcement within the enviornment, which the published group stated on air was a shock to Nunes, throughout UFC 314 introduced the combating legend to tears.
Retirement doesn’t appear to be taking, nevertheless, as Nunes advised reporters at Kaseya Heart that she plans to return in opposition to the winner of bantamweight champion Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison.
Peña vs. Harrison, the previous two-time Olympic judo gold medalist and two-time PFL season champion who was a longtime teammate of Nunes with American High Staff in Florida, is scheduled for June 7 at Prudential Heart in Newark, N.J.
The UFC will honor its newest Corridor of Fame inductees with a ceremony throughout its thirteenth Annual UFC Worldwide Battle Week, on June 26 as T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas.
“Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all-time,” UFC president and CEO Dana White stated in a press release launched by the group. “Amanda was a great champion who had one of the most legendary careers in combat sports history. She is an incredible person, and it will be an honor to induct her into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Nunes (23-5, 17 finishes) will develop into a member of the Fashionable Wing — for individuals who turned professional after the November 2000 occasion when the UFC first adopted the unified guidelines of MMA.
Becoming a member of Nunes as a part of the Class of 2025 are beforehand introduced former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, creator of “The Ultimate Fighter” actuality sequence Craig Piligian and the 2019 combat between Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum.
Nunes, who early in her profession educated out of Whippany, N.J., grew from a gifted however inconsistent prospect to one of many UFC’s most dominant forces.
The Brazilian received her first championship in 2016, blasting Miesha Tate to assert the bantamweight crown and raised her profile on the finish of the 12 months by placing crossover star Ronda Rousey away in simply 48 seconds.
Earlier than 2018 was out, Nunes grew to become the promotion’s first lady to carry two championships concurrently when she knocked out fellow combating legend Cris Cyborg in 51 seconds, including the featherweight title to her trophy case.
Nunes ran her run to 12 straight victories within the UFC, defending each championships a number of instances alongside the best way, earlier than a shocking submission loss to Julianna Peña in 2021 that ended her run atop the bantamweight division.
It was merely a pace bump, because the rematch the next 12 months was a one-sided affair leading to a call win over Peña.
One other trademark, lopsided victory over Irene Aldana in June 2023 was adopted instantly by her retirement from competitors.
However, like so many combating legends earlier than her, retirement seems to be non permanent.
