Holly Holm understands why two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes may contemplate retirement, but hopes she doesn’t hang up the gloves just yet.
Nunes (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC), the UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion has torn through competition, becoming the first fighter in history to defend two titles simultaneously.
She has won her last 11 in a row, including a first-round finish over former UFC bantamweight champion Holm (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) last July. Now Holm is on the comeback trail as she bids to get back into title contention.
After losing to Nunes, Holm rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Raquel Pennington in January and is slated to take on Mexico’s Irene Aldana in the main event of the UFC’s event on Aug. 1.
Nunes has beaten every former champion at both 135 and 145 pounds in the UFC and recently mentioned that she is considering considering walking away from the sport having achieved everything that she’s wanted.
Holm understands where Nunes is coming from but says she hopes she doesn’t actually go through with retirement because she wants a second crack at “The Lioness” before she hangs up her gloves.
“She’s kinda been pretty active and been on a roll,” Holm told MMA Junkie. “Obviously she’s run through everybody so sometimes maybe she feels a little satisfied so maybe she doesn’t feel that urge to want to keep on it but then again, you have a little bit of time in between fights and it’s like, ‘Ah no, I want to do it again,’ so I don’t know. We’ll see what she really does.
“I know she’s at a place where I don’t think anybody would blame her for walking away, but I don’t think she really wants to walk away. She might want to keep fighting. When you’re on top sometimes it’s hard to walk away from that so I think that’s gonna be however she feels. Life always is going on for everybody outside of the cage as well, so a lot of people are feeling certain things in their life. Wherever she wants to take her path, more power to her. But I hope she’s still there so I can get a rematch with her.”
Holly Holm: I hope Amanda Nunes cools retirement talk 'so I can get a rematch'