Nunes: I will retire Rousey on Friday

Guilherme Cruz recently did a remarkable long-form profile of Amanda Nunes for MMA Fighting. If you are a genuine fan of this sport, skip the brief excerpt below, and read the entire article…

It begins with Nunes as a little girl who loves soccer, but got in her share of fights, so started Capoeira, and at 16 began Jiu-Jitsu and then western boxing. She moved away from her small town and lived in the gym run by Edson Carvalho.

“My mother used to box, and I followed her footsteps into training, said Amanda. She loves fighting. My uncle used to fight Vale Tudo, and my mother even cornered him in some of his fights. She always says, ‘the first strike has to be yours. She can’t touch you before you touch her. You have to intimidate her.’”

I was the only woman in the gym, and I was tough, so they decided to call me ‘leoa’ [lioness , in Portuguese]. And people liked it.

Fast forward to UFC 200 July 9 and Nunes is the champion, the first UFC women’s champion from Brazil, and the only full UFC champion from Brazil. However, she has stayed grounded.

“She’s humble,” said ATT coach Conan Silveira. “That’s really important. Usually when someone reaches the top of the world, becomes UFC champion, and starts to worry a lot about that, it changes the way you act. Amanda knows how to deal with that, she doesn’t let anything enter her head. She fights because she loves it. Being a champion is not an eternal thing. This phase will pass one day, and you have to know how to deal with that.”

A fighter isn’t fully a champion until the belt is defended, and that opportunity happens on Friday.

“Ronda is the one who has to be worried, said Amanda. “She’s the one who’s coming back. I’m fine.”

“I don’t fear Ronda’s ground game, Ronda’s judo, nor her striking. I will be ready in all areas. Whatever happens in the fight, I will have an answer for it. That’s what gives me the advantage in this fight.

“And yes, I believe I will [retire Ronda Rousey].”