Nunes considering retirement after potential Holm fight

Bloodyelbow.com

The first ever women’s UFC double champion might hang up her gloves earlier than anticipated.

In a recent interview with Combate, Amanda Nunes revealed she could call it quits if her rumored bout against Holly Holm actually gets finalized for UFC 237.

For the ‘Lioness,’ ending her career with a win over Holly Holm means defeating all of former champions in the women’s bantamweight division, which would end her track record on a rather high note.

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“Holly is the only champion I haven’t fought yet, so it’s a fight that makes sense for me,” Nunes said. “I’m just waiting for the call. Hopefully I’ll get the call this week, I’d be really happy to return to Brazil, I think a fight with Holly here in Brazil could be great for my career. Who knows, I might retire after this fight or something like that. Let’s see what happens.”

Not only Nunes would feel like an accomplished athlete with a win over Holm, but she also revealed that an early retirement was also a request from her own mother, who already asked her to call it a career right after Amanda’s fight against Cris Cyborg.

“If you look at the division, I think Holly is my last opponent,” Nunes said. “I already conquered everything I wanted in my career. My mom asked me to retire. I was supposed to retire after the fight with Cris. She said that was enough, that I already conquered everything in MMA. That’s the last thing I wanted, to be a double champion. Now I am, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I proved it to myself and I’m fine. I doing well financially, I’m happy and now I want to live life and enjoy it.”

Still young, the 30-year-old says she already has plans for her life after MMA. Not only Amanda wishes to invest in future female MMA talents, but she also revealed a desire to play soccer.

“I want to invest in new talents,” Nunes said. “Maybe I’ll help new girls get to their goals faster, not having to go through what I had, getting the support I didn’t get. I want to be close to these girls so I can help them. Maybe play some soccer, join a team. I really like soccer, I want to play it. Maybe crossfit, too. I have many plans. There won’t be a shortage of sports for me to do once I retire. But MMA is coming to an end.”

Nunes vs. Holm would headline UFC 237 in Curitiba, Brazil on May 11th. The co-main event is confirmed to be a strawweight bout between champion Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade.