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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president, Dana White, is preparing to stage the promotion’s comeback on May 9, 2020 with a star-studded cast which tentatively included a championship bout between women’s Featherweight champion, Amanda Nunes, and top contender, Felicia Spencer.
He apparently didn’t run it by Nunes herself. According to “Lioness,” she won’t be fighting on May 9, as she prefers to mount her comeback a month later in order to get a full training camp in.
“Actually, I’m not fighting May 9,” Nunes told CBS Sports. “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,” she said.
“We can maybe see around June, [but] let’s see what is going to happen. But I’m not fighting [May 9].”
Nunes hasn’t competed since she defeated Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 last December. Furthermore, the recent pause on combat sports due to coronavirus has kept most fighters a bit more relaxed, so you can’t blame her for not being in tip-top shape at the moment.
As for Spencer, she earned herself a shot at Nunes’ 145-pound strap — which was originally set for UFC 250 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 9 — after defeating Zarah Fairn Dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 169 last February.
That said, White’s plans to stage a comeback event only surfaced a few weeks ago, and most fighters have yet to commit due to the uncertainty of the times due to COVID-19. But by the sound of the promotion’s latest press release, no one is going to be fighting anytime soon.
The proposed Nunes vs Spencer bout was one of three title fights targeted for the event, with the Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje interim Lightweight title fight to serve as headliner, while a Bantamweight fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz eyed as co-headliner.