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Former UFC double-champion teases return ahead of UFC 314

One gesture from this former UFC champion has the Internet abuzz.

Zain Bando

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Former two-division Champion Amanda Nunes was seen in the front row of the presser for UFC 316, which sees women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña fight Kayla Harrison on June 7.

Even with Nunes’ retirement, UFC CEO Dana White predicted Nunes would return to MMA after walking away from the sport in June 2023.

"The Lioness" Teases Return At UFC 316 Press Conference

Both Harrison and Peña seemed down to fight Nunes for her their respective next fights. Whether Nunes decides to come back remains to be seen, but it’s clear the intrigue for Nunes to return is there, even if it was just a simple head nod.

Nunes and Peña fought twice – at UFC 269 and UFC 277. Both split their respective fights, but unfortunately, the trilogy never panned out.

Julianna Pena (red gloves) fights Amanda Nunes (blue gloves) in a women's bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at the Ameri
Julianna Pena (red gloves) fights Amanda Nunes (blue gloves) in a women's bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Conor McGregor teases UFC 314 co-main event with cryptic message

Unfinished Business Between Nunes & Peña

“Here’s the thing that really chaps my a**,” Peña said on The MMA Hour last January.” "When I was at her last fight, I was booing because she was going into retirement and I was like, ‘Don’t go into retirement. We have literally the biggest fight in women’s history, a trilogy that’s never been done before. What are you doing saying you’re going to retire? What a joke.’"

"It warrants a boo, because she’s over there telling Megan Olivi that she’s coming out of retirement. So I was right, and it was ‘Mystic Peña’ once again. Like, they were going to get mad at me and all her fans are upset at me. ‘Why would you boo her? How dare you?’ But it’s like, how dare she? How dare she say that she’s retiring and then one women’s fight later now she’s saying she’s coming back. Get out of here.”

READ MORE: Petr Yan calls out UFC bogeyman for title fight eliminator

For Harrison, it would finally reinvigorate a PFL-UFC rivalry if they were to fight to determine the best female fighter in the world, regardless of who that might be against. 

Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center.
Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

For now, only time will tell.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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