Nunes not in UFC 237 mix; eyes Holm for late ’19
Greg Rosenstein is the MMA editor at ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at @grosenstein.
UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes on Thursday shot down the possibility that she’ll be fighting at UFC 237 in her native Brazil on May 11.
“It will be tough,” Nunes said in an interview with Combate. “I’m thinking about fighting in the end of the year, around November or December. I’m in Brazil now, taking care of family things, wouldn’t have time to get prepared for May.”
Brazilian legend Anderson Silva has already booked his next fight, and it will take place in his homeland on May 11 against Jared Cannonier.
A possible next opponent for Nunes (17-4) could be former champion Holly Holm (12-4), who previously held the bantamweight belt after knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. Holm was slated fight Aspen Ladd at UFC 235 next month but was pulled from the card.
Nunes, coming off a dominant first-round knockout against longtime featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in December, said she’d be interested in facing Holm next.
“I want to defend my [bantamweight] belt first, because when I moved up, I left the division stalled,” Nunes said. “I think it makes sense that the next fight is against Holly Holm, the only ex-champion I haven’t faced. After, I think it would be cool to rematch Cyborg. And then I’ll stop.
“I don’t know how many fights I have left; after the next one we’ll renegotiate. I think I have to do two more and retire. And if I have the itch to come back, I will.”