Nunes: ‘Highly likely’ I will fight Ronda on Dec. 30

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes spoke recently with Brazil’s Combate about her first title defense. ‘The Lioness’ says it is “highly likely” she will fight former champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 on December 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I don’t know anything yet, I’m waiting for the call,” she began, as translated by Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting. “It’s highly likely, right? Those girls are crazy. Juliana Pena says I’m running from her, Valentina Shevchenko also said I’m running from her, and now she’s saying Juliana Pena is running from her, too. I don’t like to play games.

“If they ask me who I want to fight, I’m going to say I want to fight Ronda. I’m not running from anyone, I’m the champion and I can choose who I’m going to fight. I will choose what’s best for me and Ronda would be ‘the’ main fight, that’s why it has to be against her, it has to be with Ronda.”

“I train at American Top Team today, the biggest MMA gym in the world, and it will be complicated to take this belt away from me. Ronda knows what’s like to have this belt, she knows the power this belt has. I think that’s why she’s taking so long to sign this contract.”

Rousey has kept a low profile since losing her title to Holly Holm via KO at UFC 193 on November 15, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia. Last month Rousey was reportedly offered a contract for her return, but there has been no definitive word since. And more recently, White has said Rousey wants to fight Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino, who holds the Invicta FC featherweight belt, but has a contract with the UFC, and had her last two fights in the league.

As to where that leaves Nunes, we’ll see.