Amanda Nunes has pumped the brakes on a move to featherweight.
Nunes, who is the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight title holder, is likely headed towards a title defense against Valentina Shevchenko. “The Lioness” entertained a featherweight move when Cris Cyborg was flagged for a potential drug violation.
Now that Cyborg has been cleared to compete and free of any penalty, she may be next in line for a shot at the women’s 145-pound gold. Speaking with Flo Combat, Nunes said she doesn’t plan on trading leather with Cyborg:
“I do not intend to fight with Cris. But my intention was to fight [Holly Holm or Germaine de Randamie], who were in my category, but Cris is coming back now and I’m not interested in going up. I want to see her as the champion. To fight with her, I would have to gain weight and gain muscle. I am at 135 pounds. To do such a job (at 145), I would need at least a year. That’s what I said: ‘This category is for Cris.’ but then she tested positive. But then, two girls from the 135-pound class moved up, one was coming off two defeats and the other was not in the rankings. The champion [Germaine de Randamie] is a girl that I have already defeated. I asked to go up because I can be champion in two categories. My point of view was that they were two athletes from my category and that Cris was not in the game at the time.”
