Former UFC champion Amanda Nunes faced an unusual question during a recent Q&A panel session with fans.
The awkward exchange began when a male attendee took the microphone and immediately identified himself as a “big fan” of the renowned star. After Nunes graciously acknowledged his support with a “thank you,” the fan proceeded to take the conversation in a surprising direction.
“I know you’re married to a woman,” the man stated, before continuing with his proposition: “Would you consider dating a guy and what kind of guy would you be interested in?”
The question raised eyebrows throughout the venue, considering Nunes is openly married to fellow UFC star Nina Nunes (formerly Ansaroff), with whom she shares a child. The couple has been together for years and frequently shares their family life on social media.
Rather than showing offense, Nunes handled the situation with remarkable poise and humor. Smiling at the fan, she responded with playful banter, “You’re a good looking guy,” repeating the compliment twice while evaluating him from the stage.
Playing along with the unusual interaction, Nunes jokingly replied, “I’m going to date you,” to which the eager fan immediately responded, “I’m available.”
The exchange concluded with Nunes quipping, “See you outside,” leaving the audience laughing at the lighthearted way she navigated what could have been an uncomfortable moment.
Amanda Nunes Reveals UFC Return Plans
Former UFC double champion Amanda Nunes has confirmed she’s planning a comeback to the octagon after nearly two years in retirement, with her sights set on reclaiming championship gold.
“I’m ready,” Nunes said. “I’m really back in the gym. I’m like really healthy. My weight’s good. So, why not? No injury. So, let’s see what is going to happen. And I’m ready to step in again.”
The UFC Hall of Fame inductee, who retired in June 2023 following her successful title defense against Irene Aldana at UFC 289, explained that her time away from competition has allowed her body to fully heal.
“My legs used to be very bad because of the kicks and everything, you know, so my legs like 100% like ready to go,” Nunes told NYPost Sports. “I feel like it helped me a lot this time off.”
Nunes cited family considerations as a key factor in her decision to return, particularly wanting her youngest daughter to experience her mother’s fighting career firsthand.
“I want her to have memories,” Nunes explained. “I feel like I cannot let her out of the picture. When she grows, she’s not gonna be able to [remember], and if she knows that, she would be very upset.”
The Brazilian revealed that the current women’s bantamweight landscape, including the addition of Kayla Harrison to the UFC roster, helped motivate her comeback.
“She already was talking about me for so long, you know, since the PFL days,” Nunes said of Harrison. “When she finally signed, I was in Brazil. I said, ‘Okay, that makes me excited as a competitor.'”
As for her return timeline, Nunes was clear about her preference: “At the end of the year, for sure.”
The 36-year-old confirmed this isn’t planned as a one-off appearance, stating, “I’m going to be a champ again and I’m going to defend the belt.”
Nunes’ Prediction for Harrison vs Peña
Regarding this weekend’s fight between Peña and Harrison, Nunes predicts a decision victory for Harrison. “I think this is going to go to decision. I feel like three rounds Kayla to Julianna. I feel like later on Julianna can stand out,” Nunes analyzed.
She believes Harrison will utilize her takedowns and cage control while noting Peña’s resilience: “Juliana have a very high survival.”
Nunes acknowledged the stylistic matchup would be interesting, pointing out potential weaknesses both fighters might exploit: “Kayla’s going to use her kick too. Juliana have weak legs. So, I feel Juliana know Kayla have a weak body, too.”
The former champion sees Harrison leveraging her judo background to control the fight: “I see like Kayla doing what she want to do. Take down, you know, like use the cage throw in the cage like using her trips to get Julianna down.”
American Top Team Split and Harrison Relationship
Nunes has opened up about her relationship with Kayla Harrison and her departure from American Top Team as she prepares for her UFC Hall of Fame induction.
“We like training, but like we not always like really a training partner,” Nunes explained about her relationship with Harrison. “We didn’t train every day. We like when we was be able to train it, we train it though.”
The former two-division champion acknowledged that while they occasionally trained together and Harrison attended her daughter Reagan’s birthday party, their relationship changed when Harrison began discussing a potential fight between them.
“When she started talk about about me, maybe they spiritually fight talk about it and then like bring you all that attention to fight though. It’s like as a competitor. So like I like the idea too,” Nunes said. “I definitely don’t have anything like personal against her either. This is all business.”
Regarding her split from American Top Team, Nunes explained it was her decision to create space for herself, particularly after losing to Julianna Peña.
“When I lost for Julianna, obviously like some things that you hear, some things that like sometimes when you in that position that I was like you might say things that it can hurt people,” Nunes reflected. “But like is the moment is the heat of the moment. I lost my belt though. The thing that I chase in my whole life.”
Nunes emphasized that training alongside potential opponents was challenging for her mentally: “I really don’t want to see nobody at the gym that’s always in my division. It’s possible I’m gonna fight that girl in the gym and I see that girl all the time. So that don’t make me feel good.”
