News of Amanda Nunes Possibly Retiring Drives Dana White “Nuts”

Amanda Nunes hasn’t officially announced she’s retiring from fighting, at the age of 32. But, when Dana White learned that the champ-champ is thinking about, not surprisingly, he seemed a wee bit unsettled.

White admits news Nunes could retire drives him “nuts”

Nunes is coming off a one-sided, decision win over Felicia Spencer at UFC 250. With the win, Nunes became the first fighter in UFC history to defend and hold titles from two divisions at the same time.

While speaking on Brazilian TV after the historic win, Nunes reportedly admitted that she may retire. The star noted that she’s achieved all that she wants to achieve in her career, and that she has other things she could pursue, like coaching.

Well, during a recent appearance on “The Schmozone Podcast”, White learned about Nunes’ comments. Here’s some of what he had to say in response (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“I will kill her,” White said jokingly. “… I literally just told (UFC matchmakers) Sean (Shelby) and Mick (Maynard) in the last meeting let’s get this division built for her.

Let’s build this division for her, and let’s start figuring this out. And now she’s talking about retiring?”

“You know what’s awesome about that when you think about it? Her retiring isn’t awesome; that actually drives me nuts. You know how I always say, ‘If you’re talking about retiring, you probably should.’ Unless if you’re where she’s at,” White said.

“In this time when I got guys crying about money, one of our female fighters, who could go on and keep doing this for a long time, is saying, ‘Maybe I retire now.’ She’s got plenty of money, and she can do it.”

Could Nunes really walk away right now?

So, it will be interesting to see what happens here. Nunes clearly believes she could walk away from active competition right now if she wanted, and, she certainly would have other opportunities aside from fighting.

Further, it’s worth noting that Nunes and her wife Nina Ansaroff are expecting a child. So, that could play a role in her decision, in terms of whether she continues to fight.

But, if the UFC is serious about building up the featherweight division, and that includes giving Nunes a pay raise, don’t be surprised if we see her back in the Octagon for a few more fights.

Currently Nunes carries an overall record of 20-4, and she’s riding an 11 fight, winning streak.