Amanda Nunes wants to prove her backers right when she gets a second chance against Julianna Peña after the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Earlier today, MMA News broke the news that Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes will be coaching the next season of TUF opposite one another. We now know that the new season will kick off on May 3 after news became public following an appearance from Peña on Ellen. You can peep the official poster down below.
Shortly after this news and the team rosters were released, Peña and Nunes sat down for a virtual face-to-face interview moderated by ESPN’s Michael Eaves. Here were some of the main talking points from the joint interview.
- Peña reiterated her enthusiasm to give back to the next generation of fighters after getting her start on TUF almost a full decade ago.
- Nunes touched briefly on her decision to leave American Top Team, stating that she has always wanted to be a coach and that she expects this process to help her in the rematch.
- When asked what life has been like since pulling off one of MMA’s biggest upsets of all time, Peña stated that she is not resting on her laurels and is looking forward to putting the Nunes chapter of her career behind her so that she can see what’s next.
“Honestly, of course, the belt is something that all of us chase. At this point in my life, I just want to show up 100% how I want to be. So with the belt, without the belt, I just want to really, really prove I’m better than her.” – Amanda Nunes
In what was perhaps the most noteworthy tidbit from this interview, Nunes claims that she was not 100% in her UFC 269 bout against Peña and that her primary objective going into the rematch is not about winning, losing, or championships, but just showing up at full strength, which she claims was not the case last December.
Nunes did not specify what precisely was ailing her, however, it is common knowledge that she reportedly came down with COVID-19 last year, which is what caused the postponement of this fight, which was originally scheduled for UFC 265.
You can view the full virtual face-to-face interview below.
Are you looking forward to the next season of The Ultimate Fighter hosted by Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes?
