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The women’s featherweight title will apparently not be on the line next month.
Whether or not the UFC’s May 9th event proceeds, it will not include the reigning women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion.
Amanda Nunes told CBS Sports that despite reports that her 145 lbs title defense vs. Felicia Spencer will happen, she says she won’t fight on the card due to a lack of preparation time.
“Actually, I’m not fighting May 9,” Nunes said. “I’m going to fight, [but] I don’t know yet. I don’t think this is the right time for me right now to fight. Let this coronavirus pass a little bit so I can at least have a full camp. We can maybe see around June, [but] let’s see what is going to happen. But I’m not fighting [May 9].”
The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered gyms, restricted travel for many, and led to the postponement or cancellation of scores of MMA events around the world. In a virtual meeting with fighters on Friday, UFC president Dana White did stress that no one should feel pressured into accepting bouts should they not feel comfortable fighting during the pandemic.
When May 9th was first slated to be UFC 250 in Brazil, Nunes and Spencer had expressed mutual interest in fighting in Florida, where they both train and live. At the time, Florida hadn’t issued a statewide “stay-at-home” order, but they’ve also recently amended the order by classifying sports as an “essential service,” provided they take place without fans.
Gyms like American Top Team had been closed over the past few weeks, but Nunes says that ATT has re-opened for fighters who have bouts scheduled.
“The gym opened just for people that has fights coming up,” Nunes said. “It’s not many people, just me and a couple guys that are going to be on the same card as me. We all have separate training with just me and my coach, one on one.
”I keep in shape like that. I go to the gym only one time in the morning and do everything. I do a couple of things by myself and some things that I need a coach. Then I come home and I really do everything I need to keep in shape. I have a treadmill and some weights.”
Nunes (19-4) last fought at UFC 245 this past December, winning a unanimous decision over Germaine de Randamie. She has yet to defend the women’s featherweight belt she famously took from Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 in 2018. Spencer (8-1) lost to Cyborg two fights ago, but secured a title shot with a dominant victory over Zarah Fairn dos Santos at UFC Norfolk back in February.
There’s still no word on where the UFC’s May 9th pay-per-view is supposed to happen, but if it does materialize then the tentative main event is Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight belt.