Sitting at the top of the game, Amanda Nunes was essentially on cruise control, defeating the top women across the sport of mixed martial arts. But then Julianna Peña upset her in one of the more surprising upsets in recent memory.
Peña may have been on top of the world following that victory, which caused Nunes to consider walking away, but it only served to re-awaken the Lioness inside of Nunes.
Why Amanda Nunes opted not to retire
Heading into her UFC 289 headlining bantamweight title defense opposite Irene Aldana, Nunes spoke with UFC commentator Jon Anik. She recounted her loss to Peña, her decision to backtrack on retirement, and the renewed vigor with which she approaches the remainder of her career.
Following her UFC 269 loss to Peña, Nunes told her longtime coach and friend Din Thomas, “I think I’m done.” Lucky for her, he told Nunes to take time to think about it and call him later.
She did and the result wasn’t simply that she wouldn’t retire. In fact, Nunes says she couldn’t retire knowing that Peña had the belt. She also found a way to reinvigorate a career that had put her into too much of a comfort zone.
“I cannot leave my belt with Julianna. And can be somebody else, but (not)…
Source link
