On the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes admitted that, while she didn’t want to step on the toes of her fellow Brazilian Cris Cyborg, she believed her next opponent should be former champion Holly Holm.
“I’m ready to go,” the bantamweight champ said on BJ Penn Radio. “I kind of don’t want to step in front of Cris Cyborg right now, because I know she wants to fight Holly Holm. But I don’t think this fight’s going to happen, and if Holly Holm comes down again, to 135 [pounds], we can do this. I want to defend my belt. I want to defend the 135 belt. Holly Holm is one of the only girls in this division [riding] a win, so I think she’s the one. I think if she’s not going to fight Cyborg, she has to come down and make this happen.”
Unfortunately for Nunes, Holm ultimately did agree to fight Cyborg. The pair will battle for featherweight gold at UFC 219 this December 30.
With Holm off the table, Nunes’ most likely option would seem to be streaking contender Raquel Pennington, who is currently recovering from an injury. Nunes also weighed in on this bout:
“[Pennington] has evolved a lot,” Nunes said of this prospective battle. “I liked her fight against Miesha [Tate]. She did a great job, and I think she’s a great opponent for me. It’s going to be a battle, like always, when you step into the cage. I expect Rocky to give me her best fight ever, and I think she [expects] the same. Honestly, I’m a fighter and I just want to fight. Whatever. I just want to fight. I want to defend my belt, and I’m waiting for the UFC. Let’s go.”
Do you want to see Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington fight?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 19/11/2017.
