Amanda Nunes is making a change following her upset loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 269 last month, as the former double-champion has decided to exit American Top Team.
At UFC 269, Peña shocked the world when she submitted Nunes to become the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion. Following the loss, Nunes immediately expressed interest in running it back.
“You think I’m going to go out unbalanced. I undoubtedly accept the rematch. Give me a little time to get my shit together and I will be back better than ever,” Nunes wrote in an Instagram post.
Now, according to a Combate report, part of that process of getting everything together will include Nunes exiting American Top Team.
Nunes joined the gym in 2014 as a 9-4 professional. The following year, she began a run that saw her go undefeated for six years, with a 12-0 record, world championships in two weight classes, and multiple title defenses in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. That record under ATT remained unblemished up until UFC 269 last month when Nunes dropped her bantamweight title to Peña.
Coincidentally, prior to the first cancellation between Nunes and Peña, Peña questioned whether Nunes really had COVID-19, partially because she heard that Nunes had not been training at ATT ahead of the fight. Her conversation with gym owner Dan Lambert only further convinced Peña that Nunes was MIA at ATT last summer. Ultimately, the fight would get rebooked for UFC 269, where Peña took home the bantamweight gold.
Now, as she did in 2014, Nunes will look to restart with another clean slate by creating her own team. There is currently no word on if any of the coaches at ATT will be working alongside her in this new project. It was also reported that Amanda’s wife Nina Nunes will be exiting ATT for this new gym as well.
American Top Team is one of the most renowned MMA gyms in the world. Over the years, it has hosted former UFC champions Tyron Woodley, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Junior dos Santos, and Andre Arlovski. Today, it is still the home to names like Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal, Kayla Harrison, and reigning light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira.
What do you make of Amanda Nunes’ decision to exit American Top Team after eight years?
