Amanda Nunes has no plans to retire for a second time if she leaves UFC 334 with the bantamweight belt.

The former two-division UFC champion was asked on the UFC’s Deep Waters podcast whether beating Kayla Harrison on November 14 would be the right moment to walk away again. She left little room for doubt:

“You gotta defend the belt, for sure… Then we’re gonna see.”

Here’s Amanda Nunes responding to questions about her future:

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It’s likely the former UFC champion will stay on for another fight or two, but that might depend on the performance at UFC 334.

With Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal and Din Thomas on the panel, she also pushed back on the idea that Harrison alone brought her back:

“I don’t think so,” Nunes said. “I would have come back anyways. I had a hard time being away. I think I did the break at the right time.”

She added:

“I was like so burned out and I kinda needed the break.”

The bout is the co-main event at Madison Square Garden, beneath Ciryl Gane’s heavyweight title defense against Josh Hokit. Nunes has not fought since June 2023. Harrison, for her part, won the belt by submitting Julianna Pena at UFC 316 and has been out since neck surgery scrapped their January meeting at UFC 324.

While Nunes talks about defending a belt she does not hold yet, her first retirement was as clean as they come.

Amanda Nunes retired as champion at UFC 289 before the itch returned

‘The Lioness’ walked away on June 10, 2023, in Vancouver, after a unanimous decision over Irene Aldana. Amanda Nunes laid both of her belts on the canvas and said:

“Tonight is the perfect night to retire.”

‘The Lioness’ dominated the women’s MMA scene and is a former bantamweight and featherweight women’s champion. And her retirement didn’t last long.

The Brazilian, on June 5, 2025, decided to come back to face the winner of Kayla Harrison vs. Julianna Pena. The American got the win over the Venezuelan and set up one of the most intriguing fights in women’s MMA history.