Amanda Nunes isn’t treating UFC 334 as a farewell lap. Speaking on UFC’s Deep Waters, the former two-division champion said she won’t retire if she beats Kayla Harrison on November 14. She plans to defend the bantamweight title at least once after that, according to Bloody Elbow’s writeup of the appearance.
“You gotta defend the belt, for sure,” Nunes said, before leaving the door open beyond that: “Then we’re gonna see.”
That answer matters because plenty of people had already penciled this one in as a double retirement. The fight carries legacy weight for both women, and after it there’s no obvious next mountain for either of them. Nunes had a direct reply to the idea that only Harrison could pull her out of retirement.
“I don’t think so,” she said when asked if the matchup was the reason she came back. “I would have come back anyways. I had a hard time being away. I think I did the break at the right time I was like so burned out and I kinda needed the break.”
The long wait
The comeback took longer than anyone planned. The fight was originally set for the start of the year and would have been Harrison’s first title defense. It fell apart when Harrison needed surgery on a neck injury. By the time the cage door closes at UFC 334, Nunes will have been out of competition for more than three years.
Bloody Elbow reports that the delay didn’t change her plans. She still describes herself as refreshed by the time off and has been telling fans since she announced her return that she intends to stick around. She’s also said that adjusting to life without fighting was harder than she expected.
Harrison is heading the other way. She recently admitted she doubted herself after the neck surgery. She has said she doesn’t know whether November will be her final fight, but she knows she’s near the end of her career after the health problems she’s had to work through.
So the matchup has two very different timelines. The champion is coming off neck surgery and talking openly about the finish line. The challenger, after three-plus years away, is already talking about her first defense.
Sal’s take
I’ve lost enough money on fighters coming off long layoffs to have a rule about it. Three years out of the cage is a lot of rust, and no open workout or highlight clip from camp is going to tell you how much. On the other side, the champion is coming off neck surgery and admitting she doubted herself, and that’s an asterisk with real weight. I haven’t seen a line I trust yet, and I’m not going to invent one. If the books put either woman at a short price on reputation alone, I’m keeping my wallet in my pocket. Nunes saying she’ll defend the belt costs her nothing in October. Whether she’s still talking that way on November 15 depends on how her body handles the first five minutes against a judoka who wants to drag her to the mat.
