- 8 minutes ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome back to Against the Cage. Scott Fontana here again with the UFC Hall of Famer, Amanda Nunez, who on
00:05Saturday returns to the Octagon for the first time in more than three years when she challenges Kayla Harrison for
00:11the Bantamweight Championship at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden, which I cannot believe you've actually not fought at the
00:18Garden before.
00:18How did we get to this point with you and your legendary career where you didn't actually compete at the
00:23most famous venue?
00:25You know, like we got away everything in life. I feel like this is a perfect opportunity to come to
00:31New York. So everything is life like that. You got every patience and then we'll come. So now we're here.
00:38How special is it for you? Because obviously you have amazing highs in your career. You've done some really wonderful
00:43things in your country, in this country, everywhere. Where does this kind of fit in? Like how do you look
00:49at this?
00:50It's amazing. You know, it's not worth it to describe in this moment, honestly. You saw a little bit my
00:56story because back then I was in New Jersey, you know, and I came here dreaming like maybe one day
01:04my picture is going to be in Times Square.
01:06Maybe one day I was there. Maybe one day I fight here. So, and I come here with a dream
01:11in my pocket. $20 in the order. So now I'm here. It's just like the circle. My life is like,
01:21it's unbelievable that now I come to fight in New York. I have a very good energy and then friendship
01:28with New York. This is match perfect.
01:30And like you said, we were talking about this right before. I used to train jujitsu where you used to
01:36train at AMA Fight Club in Whippany, New Jersey early in your career. So like I have an interesting perspective
01:40on seeing you from the very beginning all the way to this point. So it's really neat to see you.
01:45Obviously, you've got your kids in town. We were talking about that as well. You've made it a point to
01:49tell me, I believe we were talking about this when we spoke last year. You really want your girls to
01:54have some memories of you competing. So they're here in New York. What does that mean to you to have
01:59this chance to really finally do that?
02:00Yeah, that's always what I was thinking. I have to give my little one opportunity to live all this again.
02:09So, and here in New York, this is amazing. Regan is like, she's like all over. She even giving me
02:17like some strategies and things like she knows now.
02:21And the little ones like just running around and happy to be here and we'll be able to take a
02:27picture, you know. This is important for her, for me, for all of us. I feel like later on in
02:34life, they're going to say thank you to me, you know, because I was retired and he was born and
02:44I kind of was done.
02:44And I look at Nina like, she's going to be very upset with me if I don't do this. You
02:51know, Regan did many times and then she didn't even.
02:54But she was little, yeah.
02:55She was little. And now she really was going to understand what is going on here.
03:00So, that's why I started like thinking about it also to come back and then now here we are.
03:08Normally, fighters are not going to give away their, you know, their coaching and that kind of thing.
03:12But I do want to know what did Regan give you? What kind of advice has she given?
03:15She's talking about when I knee her in the face.
03:19Okay.
03:19She keeps telling me like, you're going to knock her out with a knee in the face. When she do
03:25this, you do. And then she's going to come to grab you and then you fly near her in the
03:30face.
03:31And I did a couple of times.
03:33All right.
03:33I might do it in a fight. It might work. Imagine it.
03:36If you pull that out, I think that would be amazing for her.
03:39She would not forget it at that point for sure.
03:41She never would forget it for sure.
03:42And then she's going to be a coach.
03:43Yeah. She always like, tell me. So, I take it. I might do.
03:47Now, obviously, we were talking about you returning last June when it was kind of starting to come out. You
03:53were really going to do this. You and I connected.
03:55We had this fight booked. It was supposed to be in January. Obviously, Kayla got hurt or she had her
04:00surgery and she needed time to recover.
04:02How frustrating was it for you? Because I know you were kind of itching to get back in there at
04:05that point.
04:06Yeah.
04:06So, it's been a long time.
04:07I was definitely itchy. But at one point, I was upset because I have a plan. You know what I
04:15mean?
04:15So, after the fight, I always go travel, go to Brazil. I take my girls to Brazil to see my
04:22mom and everything.
04:23So, I have that plan and everything.
04:25But when I got home, I was at the gym when I got a call. And when I got home,
04:30I kind of like, you know what?
04:33Actually, I'm going to take it in a positive way. I'm going to train more.
04:38Like, add some things in my camp, you know? And I joist a couple things in my coats because I
04:48have to, like, change some coats in the middle, too.
04:51And it was only positive. One more year to, like, organize everything. It was perfect.
04:59All right. A positive spin on everything, right?
05:01Exactly. Now, obviously, you and Kayla have a lot of history as going back as training partners, as friends.
05:08You went to kids' birthday parties, all this stuff, right?
05:10Here you are. You've gone your separate ways a little bit.
05:13But you did have a very respectful kind of standoff, I guess, in the cage after she won the belt
05:18last year.
05:19There's a lot of respect.
05:21How do you feel about knowing Kayla the person and now you're going to face Kayla the fighter?
05:26Yeah. I feel like she's going to face me, too, as a lioness.
05:31It's two ways, yes.
05:32It's two ways.
05:33So, you know, definitely always having respect is not only here in the gym, too.
05:40You know, this is about the competitive.
05:42This is about how it can be great for women's MMA, this fight, you know?
05:51So, this isn't anything personal, you know?
05:55After this, everything is going to be over, okay?
05:59So, yeah, I feel like everything is all about to be the best.
06:06Now, obviously, you had that history, but you did grow apart a little bit.
06:11Like, we didn't see you guys together as much.
06:13You weren't training together and that kind of thing.
06:14Can there be some sort of, maybe on the other side of this, maybe even there's a way to get
06:18back to kind of the way things somewhat used to be between you two?
06:21Like, outside of the cage?
06:24Honestly, like, we never was, like, so close.
06:28Like, I never called her to talk to her about anything.
06:31We see each other in the gym.
06:33If she's in the mat, we used to training.
06:37If, like, we set up a training, like, always, always a mission that almost never happened.
06:42And, but, like, other than that, if I see her any place after Saturday, like, honestly, with me, I'm good.
06:52I feel like we, I don't have anything, like, I don't hate Kayla.
06:57Sure.
06:58This is all about the challenge, you know what I mean?
07:00We have two competitive athletes and we want to fight.
07:06We want to put this off the face, you know, we want to put this in the UFC octagon.
07:11So, what is the bad part of this?
07:14Everybody wins, you know?
07:16Yeah, for sure.
07:16Right?
07:16And, obviously, everybody's looking forward to this fight.
07:18What do you think about Kayla's performances now that she's come to the UFC?
07:21She's been fighting at bantamweight, which was not in her weight before.
07:24She was really fighting more often 20 pounds up.
07:27Well, yeah, I think she did everything she's supposed to become a champion, you know?
07:32She beat all the girls that UFC give to her.
07:34So, yeah, she did great.
07:36She did good.
07:38She holds the belt that you used to hold, right?
07:41And you kind of just allowed it to go.
07:43You retired as the champion.
07:45You were a very dominant fighter in that last fight that you had.
07:48Do you still kind of look at yourself as the champion coming into this?
07:51Definitely.
07:52I'm not here as a challenger at all.
07:54I'm here as a double champion, for sure.
07:57That's true.
07:57You did have both belts at that point.
07:58Yeah, for sure.
07:59We must reinforce that.
08:00I mean, though, here is a challenge.
08:02My body and soul, I'm a double champion.
08:05So, it's like everything is always, you know, my mindset, my body, my soul.
08:14Everything is on point.
08:15Who has more to prove in this fight?
08:17Is it you coming off of three years not fighting and all that?
08:20Or is it Kayla having to show that she can beat a legend in the sport, defend her championship?
08:26Everything is on her.
08:27No pressure here for me.
08:30I'm just having fun, you know, and enjoy every single moment of this fight week.
08:37Sure.
08:38Dana White has called this the greatest women's fight of all time.
08:42Some people might disagree.
08:43You were a part of another fight that was a blockbuster fight as well against Chris Cyborg.
08:48Exactly.
08:49I cannot compare this fight against when I become a double champion.
08:53I think that was the top of my career, was that fight.
09:00Was that the peak of women's MMA as well?
09:02Yeah, exactly.
09:03This fight's different.
09:04Okay.
09:05You know, it's another era, you know, so it's amazing to this fight.
09:10But, like, it's very hard to compare it to that moment when I become a double champion than for now.
09:17And I know a lot of the conversation was about this previously when the fight was supposed to be taking
09:21place in January.
09:22But there was a lot of, you know, wondering why was this the co-main event at the time?
09:26It gets rebooked for Madison Square Garden.
09:28It is also the co-main event.
09:29How do you feel about that?
09:30That the greatest women's fight of all time is not topping the billing?
09:34This is how UFC do, you know.
09:36Like, we see this all the time.
09:38It's not something that surprises nobody.
09:41I feel like I'm happy to be here.
09:44I'm happy to be the co-main event.
09:46You know, there's nothing changing.
09:47We still is going to fight.
09:49We still is going to be on the TV.
09:51We still, people still is going to watch this.
09:55So, everybody wins here.
09:57You know, if UFC in the future want to do this as a main event, they is going to do.
10:02But, like, if we keep it like, oh, my God, why?
10:07Like, honestly, it's not here that I complain.
10:12I only win the whole, my entire career with UFC.
10:16You know, they always take care of me.
10:19I always say, if I fight the first fight of the night or the main event, I love it.
10:25I still would have done what I want to do, you know, what I come here to do.
10:29So, I'm happy regardless.
10:31I want to ask you a last question, too.
10:33Is, obviously, when you were, you were the double champ, right?
10:36You had the featherweight belt.
10:37The featherweight division is gone now.
10:38And we're not really doing that in the UFC anymore.
10:40The bantamweight division has come under a little bit of fire and a little bit of concern about its future.
10:44You know, half of the contenders there are 35 or older.
10:48Both of you two are 35 or older.
10:49So, I think there's some concern about what the future looks like at bantamweight.
10:53What do you think of 135 pounds future?
10:55Yeah, I was concerned a little bit, honestly.
10:56The division slowed down so much in these past years.
11:00That's concerning me a little bit.
11:02That was also one of my motivators to come back, you know?
11:07So, like, man, I can do so many still to help the division, to help women in MMA.
11:12Because I don't want to do this.
11:14We worked so hard back then, you know?
11:16We worked so hard back then.
11:18For now, see, like, how slow it's getting, too.
11:21And I feel like I still can help.
11:24I still can do this, you know?
11:25I still can make this excited again.
11:30And now I'm here to be able to really get everybody, like, excited to watch and to be excited about
11:40the division, too.
11:42That's everything for help, you know?
11:44And your plan, too, was not to just one and done.
11:46You want to be back and you want to keep going, right?
11:48Yes, yes.
11:49I'm going to get in my belt and I'm going to keep going.
11:52So, whatever next, I'm going to do it.
11:55Sounds like more to come.
11:56Sounds like more to come.