In the co-main event of UFC 232 in late December, UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes moved up to the featherweight division, where she authored a shocking knockout victory over long-time champ Cris Cyborg to capture the UFC featherweight title.
Mere weeks after becoming a two-division UFC champion, Amanda Nunes has now announced that she is done with the featherweight division. This news is not likely to go over well with Cris Cyborg, who’s been campaigning for a rematch with Nunes ever since she lost the title to her at UFC 232.
Amanda Nunes made this surprising announcement on Twitter on Wednesday, and also made an alternative matchup suggestion for Cyborg while she was at it.
#CyborgVsNunes2 https://t.co/YTr80DRF2n
— @CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) January 16, 2019
“#CyborgVsNunes2” – Cris Cyborg wrote on Twitter.
Sorry Cristiane but I’m done with 145. My Goal was to be a double champ. But, now I can help you build the division. I got someone for you @Judo_Kayla is a true 145er
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) January 17, 2019
“Sorry Cristiane but I’m done with 145,” Amanda Nunes proclaimed in response. “My Goal was to be a double champ. But, now I can help you build the division. I got someone for you. [Kayla Harrison] is a true 145er.”
Kayla Harrison, who Nunes is suggesting Cris Cyborg fights instead, competes in the lightweight division, and is currently under contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). While a Cyborg vs. Harrison fight seems like a distant possibility at this point, it is a fight the latter has expressed interest in previously.
“I still think it would be awesome to fight her,” Kayla Harrison told ESPN of Cyborg shortly after she lost to Nunes. “One loss in 10 years doesn’t make her a dud. She’s still a complete wrecking machine. That was the greatest women’s fight of all time.”
Do you think Amanda Nunes is really done with the featherweight division?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/16/2019.