MMA News wrap-up: Amanda Nunes returns, Tyron Woodley reveals rap mystery, UFC 314 fallout, more
“The Lioness” roars again.
There were plenty of storylines coming out of UFC 314—Alexander Volkanovski champion again! Patricio Pitbull bombs! Jean Silva is an insane person!—and somewhat lost in the shuffle was the announcement of Amanda Nunes returning to competition after retiring in 2023.
Perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising the former bantamweight and featherweight champion has decided to step back into the octagon, given that her initial retirement felt like it was more due to boredom than an inability to continue fighting at the highest level. Nunes, 36, has literally done it all in MMA and she’s had plenty to handle in her personal life as well as a mother of two. So it was always a matter of timing for her.
The time is now with Julianna Peña defending the bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 on June 7. No matter who wins, Nunes should be motivated. Peña scored a massive upset against Nunes at UFC 269 and despite being bludgeoned for five rounds in the rematch, Peña has never given up on calling out Nunes for a trilogy bout.
As for Harrison, the two-time PFL champion and former training partner of Nunes has long been considered the most intriguing test for the recently announced Hall of Fame inductee. If she gets past Peña, calls for a Nunes-Harrison fight will be deafening.
Check out the fan reaction to Nunes’ comeback announcement below.
UFC 314 report: Who suffered the most damaging loss in Miami?
We asked who was the biggest loser coming out of UFC 314 and you answered.
Matt Brown questions if Michael Chandler is ‘either past his prime or just wasn’t UFC material to begin with’
It’s probably too early to be eulogizing Michael Chandler and his storied career, but that hasn’t stopped some of you from putting together a draft.
Dana White addresses new UFC TV deal as exclusive negotiating window with ESPN comes to an end
One of the biggest stories in all of sports is who the UFC’s next broadcasting partner will be. Damon Martin and I broke down the contenders and you have your opinions on the subject as well.
Alan Belcher calls out GFL as a ‘scam’ after debut cards cancelled: ‘We all got screwed on this one’
This whole GFL situation just sucks right now, man.
Tyron Woodley: ‘I’ll Beat Yo Ass’ rap was aimed at Dana White
Tyron Woodley bringing up his rap song from 2018 led to some mean—but let’s be honest, completely hilarious—comments.
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In other news...
- Jon Anik got a dirty look from a matchmaker over a scoring disagreement at UFC 314.
- Is Ilia Topuria the one to take the lightweight belt from Islam Makhachev?
- Top middleweight contender Caio Borralho sat down to play some chess with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.
- Rankings shakeup! How high do you place Jean Silva after another show-stealing performance?
- Condolences to Marvin Vettori and his family following his brother’s tragic death.
- Toe in the eye TKO? Yup, it’s another week of Missed Fists.
- What’s next for Israel Adesanya?
- Arman Tsarukyan is resigned to Ilia Topuria leaping over him for a title shot, which is kind of sad.
- Check out PFL 3 results if you missed Friday’s show.
- Jake Paul has his next fight booked. Yay!