Amanda Nunes Details Burnout and Mental Health Struggles Behind Her First Retirement in 2023

· Yahoo Sports

Amanda Nunes after beating Irene Aldana at UFC 289 | Photo: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Kshitiz Kumar Singh

Amanda Nunes is finally preparing to make her long-awaited return to the Octagon, with Kayla Harrison standing across from her at UFC 334. The two were initially scheduled to meet at UFC 324 nearly 11 months ago, but their showdown will now see the Brazilian attempt to reclaim the bantamweight throne.

Nunes last fought at UFC 289, where she defeated Irene Aldana before walking away from MMA as a reigning two-division champion. Nunes’ resume speaks for itself. The Brazilian cemented her status as arguably the greatest female fighter in MMA history by beating elite names such as Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey.

Visit bettingx.bond for more information.

She also handed Cris Cyborg one of the most shocking defeats of her career with a first-round knockout at UFC 232. She finished her career with 14 victories in her final 15 outings, suffering only one defeat to Julianna Pena before getting revenge in their rematch at UFC 277.

However, behind all the accolades and championship success, Nunes was dealing with burnout and mental health struggles. Those challenges eventually contributed to her retirement in June 2023, something she has now opened up about ahead of her high-profile clash with Harrison.

Amanda Nunes Declares She’s Ready to Reclaim Her Place as the Best Against Kayla Harrison at UFC 334

When Nunes defeated Aldana at UFC 289, she dropped to her knees, placed both her 135lbs and 145lbs championship belts in the center of the Octagon and announced her retirement. At the time, it seemed like fans had witnessed the final chapter of one of MMA’s greatest careers.

However, her decision to walk away came after years of competing at the highest level, dealing with injuries and pushing through physical exhaustion. Nunes recently opened up about that period in an interview with UFC.com, saying, “I feel amazing. I’m really happy to be back. I missed this. I missed everything about MMA. This has been in my life since I was a teenager.”

The Brazilian further explained, “When I stepped out, I needed the rest because I was literally on a roll, fighting for so long — defended the belt in two divisions, and I never stopped. I was burned out.”

Nunes also felt that continuing to compete under those circumstances could have hurt her legacy. Rather than risk losing her passion for the sport and suffering more defeats, she chose to take a step back.

She added, “I didn’t want to keep pushing through back then and have the risk to lose because I wasn’t happy doing the thing that I love to do. So, when I retired, I needed the break. I needed to reset and needed a clear mind. I needed a break for my body to lose weight, too.”

 

But the time away eventually left her missing the excitement of competition. Nunes said, “But when I got the break that I needed, it got boring. I got bored at home. My daughter got bored, and my little one didn’t get the opportunity to see everything.”

Her family now appears to be enjoying every moment of her comeback journey. In a recent UFC Embedded episode, Nunes’ daughter was even seen offering her advice on how to beat Harrison at UFC 334.

With her family cheering her on, ‘The Lioness’ appears more than ready to chase another bantamweight championship. Interestingly, Saturday’s showdown could also mark the final appearance for both legendary fighters, making the stakes even higher.

MORE MMA NEWS:

Sean Strickland Believes Josh Hokit Can Exploit the Same Weakness Jon Jones Exposed in Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane Makes Bizarre Assessment of UFC Heavyweight Division in 2026 

Johnny Walker Faces an Interesting Challenge Following His Brutal Knockout Over Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Read full story at source