Ali Abdelaziz thinks Amanda Nunes wanted no part of Kayla Harrison.
Former teammates Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) and Harrison (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) were on a collision course, but being part of different promotions prevented them from being able to fight each other.
Nunes hung up her gloves as UFC dual-champion after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana in June 2023. Seven months later, two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison signed with the UFC, and Abdelaziz thinks Nunes’ timing to retire was not coincidental.
“Amanda Nunes did everything,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “She retired because Kayla was coming to the UFC, No. 1. She left ATT because Kayla was training there, right? She turned on the people who really helped her, like Dan Lambert and Conan (Silveira) and everybody who helped her because Kayla was getting more attention.
“She’d grown, and she knew they were going to have to fight, right? Amanda Nunes, her biggest nightmare in here, it was Kayla, and this is why she retired. She has a lot of pride in her. She retired because of Kayla Harrison, and now she said she wants to come back. I don’t think she ever comes back. But if she comes back, that’ll be amazing.”
Harrison submitted Holly Holm in her promotional debut at UFC 300 in April, and is eager to lure Nunes out of retirement. Abdelaziz theorizes that Nunes left American Top Team to form her own private gym because of Harrison.
“She trained a couple of times (together),” Abdelaziz said. “And whatever happened in the training room happened, and she never wants to train with Kayla again. She never wants to spar with Kayla again. She starts training by herself, away from the team every time Kayla comes to the gym. She left. And ATT really created who she is, and she turned on them because she thought, ‘Kayla’s coming.’ And you know what? She was coming. She was right. Kayla was coming.
“But she was the champion. She was jewel of the gym. Her insecurity and uncertain about beating Kayla allowed her to leave the gym. I don’t know, man. I don’t know. I think Amanda, she missed attention, and I think enough pressure from me and you talking about it, all the media talking about it, it might tickle her ego a little bit and for her to come back. But it doesn’t matter if she wants to come back. She can come back. She’s going to take this loss (to Harrison) and go back to retirement.”
