Following Nunes’ Retirement, Dana White Says Featherweight Division May Be Retired Too
Amanda Nunes has ruled out a return to the UFC following her victory over Irene Aldana and her subsequent retirement.
Nunes retained her bantamweight title via a unanimous-decision win at UFC 289 at the Rogers Arena, Vancouver.
Right from the start, Nunes dominated the fight, landing telling shots on Aldana and drawing blood from her nose in the first round with her effective jab.
She continued her assault with kicks and takedowns while Aldana struggled to keep up.
In the end, Nunes’ sustained attacks and counter-takedowns were too much, as Nunes announced her retirement after recording her 16th victory, the most in women’s UFC history.
With that being said, Nunes made it clear that she had nothing else to prove.
"Double champion forever!"
Amanda Nunes announces her retirement at #UFC289
What a career in the Octagon 👏
(via @ufc)pic.twitter.com/6znMtJ3ih9
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 11, 2023
“Yeah, I’m gone. I’m good. I did everything…. I broke a lot of records. [I want to be remembered as the greatest female fighter of all time].
“Thank you, UFC. They took care of me, and they’ll always take care of me, so I’m always going to be around. If I don’t do anything with them.
“I’ll still go up and down just to be around because I love this sport so much, and I did everything to be the best at it. And I proved it tonight. I retired with my two belts,” Nunes
The decision was forthcoming, given Nunes’ comments since her retirement.
The champion expanded on how she knew she was ready to retire before the fight, as well as having had conversations with those close to her in order to make the right decision.
“My mom was asking me so much to do this for so long, she can’t take it anymore. My partner as well, Nina [Nunes], she’s been around so much with me my whole career, she’s pregnant now and we’ve been on this road for so long.
“I decided right now I’m still young enough to enjoy everything that I made. I’ve got to travel, I want to be with my family. I’ve got to spend more time with my family in Brazil as well,” Nunes
While Nunes talked up Aldana’s chances of winning a belt in the future, Dana White had other ideas when it came to the featherweight division.
The UFC president expanded on the likelihood of the division dissolving due to the lack of numbers, making it more clear that Nunes’ decision was the right one for her career.
Dana White on whether Amanda Nunes' retirement spells the end for the women's featherweight division: "The answer is probably yes." #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/vRradxudCb
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 11, 2023
“The answer is probably yes. I mean, I don’t make these decisions the night of the fight. … Yeah, I don’t know. But it makes sense,” White