Amanda Nunes considering retirement?
Ronda Rousey never made a secret of the fact that she wanted to retire undefeated, as champion. She wanted to go out on top and she isn’t alone in that regard. Of course, things did not go according to plan for Rousey, and her career ended in a fiery crash much like so many other great, and not so great fighters. Amanda Nunes would like to break from that mold. In a recent interview with MMAMania, Nunes hinted that retirement could be closer for her than anybody might expect.
“I went home to see my family and stay a little bit with my family and my mom (said), ‘I think you should retire,’” Nunes said. “I think (about it) a little bit. We’ll see with this next stage what’s going on. I’m a little bit tired of all the big fights. I’m very happy and glad and proud that I did all that and I want a little break to get a family and focus more on Nina’s career. We’ll see. I say those things, but you know how fighting is. We get involved so much and then we want to do it again. We’ll see.”
Now while the statement is certainly not a declaration of retirement, it at least shows that it’s something she’s considered. She is currently rumored to defend her bantamweight championship against Holly Holm at an upcoming PPV, but after that what could be next for her? Maybe she will choose to continue fighting, or maybe she will instead elect to retire and focus on the career of her partner, Nina Ansaroff. Regardless of what Nunes choose to do going forward, it is safe to say that when she retires, she will likely retire as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time.
Jose Aldo comments on potential McGregor rematch, Volkanovski, and his future
Jose Aldo reminded everybody over the weekend that he is in fact still Jose Aldo. We saw Aldo, a long-time veteran who is still somehow just 32 years old, absolutely demolish a young contender in Renato Moicano. Moicano seemed poised to break into the top three or four and instead found himself on the receiving end of a torrent of strikes to the head and body courtesy of the “King of Rio”.
Shortly after the fight-ending stoppage, several fellow fighters took to Twitter to congratulate Aldo. Some were sincere, while others seemed to have ulterior motives. Max Holloway congratulated Aldo on the win, and while Alexander Volkanovski did as well, his message was not just one of admiration.
“Well done @josealdojunior let me know if you are looking for a quick turnaround”
https://twitter.com/alexvolkanovski/status/1091894768659968000
Aldo seemed less than receptive, simply saying “Sorry to that guy” when the tweet was brought to his attention in the post-fight press conference. He did seem a bit more interested in a potential rematch with Conor McGregor though.
“To me, it would be great,” Aldo said at the UFC Fortaleza post-fight press conference. “I don’t know if this fight was close in Rio. It didn’t get to me. But if I have that opportunity in a division above, that way I don’t have to suffer through the weight cut, I think it would be a great fight.”
Former title challenger Brian Ortega also seemed to show some interest in a fight with Aldo, so it is clear that options for the Brazilian legend will be many. Despite a rough patch, it seems as though Aldo is now firmly back in control of his career and he is likely in a position to take the fights that he wants going forward. He has done a lot for MMA, the featherweights, and the lighter weight classes in general. He deserves all of the positives things that come his way going forward.
Johnny Walker comments on second straight KO finish
Johnny Walker debuted in the UFC with a smashing KO over Khalil Rountree. It was a hellacious elbow and with it came along a great deal of hype. Fast forward to last night and Walker returned to the cage in an effort to prove he is for real. He did just that, knocking out Justin Ledet in 15 seconds with a Tekken level KO that left most people wondering what they’d just witnessed. The hype is strong, but the skills appear to be real, and if Walker continues on this path its only a matter of time before he reaches the top. It seems as though he’s already thinking about it…
“I think now people will pay attention, I’m coming. I’m coming to be a champion. I have shown nothing. I have so many things to show. I hope next time, maybe two rounds.” (Speaking to reporters during post-event conference)
We haven’t seen much of a ground game, or really anything from Walker aside from his epic power, so he will certainly be a fighter to watch going forward. If he can compete at the same level against the higher-level guys as he is now, then he is going to be an exciting addition to the 205 division for years to come.
Sunday Notebook
-Frankie Saenz is in for Thomas Almeida (Injury) against Marlon Vera at UFC 235
In case you missed it
–LIVE UFC FORTALEZA REPORT: Real-time results & analysis of Assuncao-Moraes, Aldo-Moicano
–MCGRATH: Making sense of the Khabib-Conor Nevada Commission hearings
–ROUNDTABLE: Who is a more interesting fight for Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone or Max Holloway?
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