UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes spoke about her upcoming main event match against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on …
congrats on getting the uh 75 pins there uh for 75 clean tests do you have a testing moment that like stood out to you maybe like something that was super inconvenient or like anything that stands out as like maybe a weird moment from all these usata tests over the years [Music] oh oh I had to do my test we we every time we should go testing me or Nina we have a great talk you know she’s like kind of friend now so I never have like a a bad experience with her it’s pretty cool okay and you’ve been in the UFC since before this program came around right do you feel like it’s accomplished its goal in cleaning up the sport do you feel like there’s less people using banned substances than there was before you saw that came around yeah it’s definitely you know it’s very important because I take care my body you know in the right way natural and everything and I want to compete with a girl that’s the same so this is very important for for everybody can see I’m clean to you know and I’m powerful doesn’t mean I need anything else to make me powerful so I’m clean and I can knock people out like that too I can prove it and you had another Face-Off uh yesterday or today with Arena on the waterfront and stuff um did you see anything different in that stare down with her compared to the one you guys did last month uh like see her again and I’ll see uh make a couple couple things for the face you can see ours too like for you guys too and it’s not about eyes it’s all about you guys one for you because you’re very respectful towards her you’re obviously a very nice person but when does the flip switch to you to this person is trying to take this belt away from me and I need to obviously you know do damage to her in the cage when I signed the contract you know when I signed the contract the line modes study you know so and from there I never stopped thinking like I I gotta protect my belts you know I never gonna sleep in in any opponent ever again and in the last fight you finally won the title back right you haven’t done that in a long time you’ve just been defending them uh so it’s a first offense of the second title ran right like do you look at this differently than the first strand you had or does it just feel like a continuation yeah it’s a container I like to compete so um be he’s just like a blessed to me I love it the fight week I love everything evolving to to be a fighter so it’s just gonna be competing my life is driving me forward and and is that what is your motivation right now because I you did that interview where you said you’d considered retirement after the first Juliana fight and I think people kind of freaked out being like you know is she one foot out the door like where is she so can you just maybe to anyone who has doubts about your mindset or your motivation explain to them where you are right now mentally yeah you know like when you hold the belt for so long and then and they lost that day like you you get sad and you don’t know what you do honestly because you work so hard I work my whole life for that thing and then she go away like that with somebody that’s I know I’m better you know and that was harder to to see to watch it after and everything but like for for a couple moments I walk and then like I was like a little confused about the whole thing you know but like as soon I got home soon because I drive it back and I take couple days to to be a home and I always think about a lot of things what I can do what what I have to change you you know I think a lot of things and then and I decided you know retire because retired leaving my my belt with Juliana no way no way no way can be with somebody else but with Juliana no so and I know I can kick her ass you know anytime I want that day was like a day I’m I’m taking like she’s supposed to like win that day you know I supposed to make the mistake that I make to fight without being really in my great shape and I pay for and I never is gonna do that again ever ever ever ever so yeah it’s like you’re always confused a little bit but like so I got my food in the floor I got home and everything’s always ready to go my mindset was like ready to get the belt back and never lose again so now I’m here motivator Ace a lioness you know ready to go through the jungle my spirit is so strong and everything else so I’m ready to go and I remember you told me a few years ago like you wanted to stay in the sport until your children were old enough to like fully understand what you’re doing here and appreciate you know the greatness is that still kind of the goal do you feel like there’s many years ahead or as you kind of said there you know it would be fine leaving the belt with someone who’s not giuliana’s is it a fight by fight thing now oh yeah I leave that open you know to decide let me in my mind my my body after each fight from now on you know whatever I I decided to stop it’s gonna be inside the cage I don’t know anytime I have that answer instead you know when I’m done Inside the Cage so I always always in them in that moment that I always think like I have everything that I need and I I work hard for my belts and everything but I always felt that I was missing something you know my heart is always empty and I always try to find what is the lobby that I need you know I have I dream with my belts I have my belts what I needed so when Reagan’s born I find out that’s always what I was missing you know be a mother that love that’s be able to raise a child it’s amazing and I love you so much to be a mommy that I have another one now come here and just last thing for me um Raquel Paddington is actually here is like the backup right do you put any thought into your mind of like if something crazy happens the next couple days with irenae like preparing for someone else or a change your opponent like do you put any concentration no I don’t think anything’s gonna happen it’s gonna be our name he’s gonna we’re gonna face me that night you know so um obviously rock is he you know I think school I have somebody else line up but like I’m not gonna happen it’s gonna be all done it for sure Amanda in the front right here um edana was in here earlier and you’ve essentially been the champion her entire UFC career and she said she had been studying and preparing to fight you even before you had won the belt so was she always on your radar as a future opponent even before you fought for the title I always think about her too you know the lion is not asleep you know so um I was training for her actually because I know am I supposed to be her you know and that mean you know always think about it because they talk about Juliana all those things but like I always think about like the Mexican right now have like a good run you know they might think about it so we started training for her right away and when they I got a call or Juliana so but I I was training for aldana already when everything changed at the end they become biodana I was ready for her already she said she had thought there would be a moment even before you fought for the title that you guys would probably be matched up even way back then so were you aware of her back then too and were you watching her uh she lost it I know really she’s supposed to but like her fight’s not always a fight that like oh my God she’s the next you know I that’s why UFC putting somebody else in front of her if she impressed them for sure we would be able to fight but I have She’ll always impressed back then to face me but now you know having anybody else so she’s still not impressed but I’m not asleep on her and I like to find somebody else new and I like the challenge you should bring it to me the front last question for me Charles was in here and he’s such a massive star in Brazil was there ever a moment in your career that like that’s what you wanted like to be such a mega star in Brazil no that never was something that I wanna I wanna be a double Champion you know never waste that time my mind to become Stars I wanna I tell you now at the time like I want to be able to go everywhere you know I want to be able to take I want to be able to be normal in and Chase my my dream and have my belts and be actually my my life right now is perfect it’s exactly how I won you know and I’m happy for him you know if this is what he like to to do this is great for him but I I love you how how everything in my life set up right now Amanda back here at the very back welcome to Vancouver thank you you talked about your family you’ve got both belts again you’ve been on dominant run do you feel this is your perfect life that you’re living right now it couldn’t get any better yeah definitely actually I just will have to carry that you know on and then and if you have anything else out there I can do I feel like the life is gonna show me you know like you always everything that’s happened my career I I didn’t know it’s gonna happen you know the only thing that I know I’m gonna get it about you know the tube out but anything else all their records that I break here is like where’s the life show me you know and and I was following and get everything done but yeah okay you know like that right now and I have everything that I needed have you allowed yourself to process the fact that you’re one of the greatest at what you’ve done and to give an example when I told my wife that I was coming here today she was excited that I was going to be able to interview you today she’s a casual MMA fan but you you’ve transcended the sport where you have people like her excited to watch your success and enjoy your success have you figured that out about what you’ve been able to do and does it hesitate you deep down the side you have that effect on people yeah I I a lot of people come up to me and they tell me exactly what do you you tell me and and I think this is cool you know this is what I love to hear and I’d be able to to be in people’s life like that and be able to to get get people to watch MMA if they know are a huge fan but like just because of me they like me and then they can watch it I think this is amazing you know I’m making me happy means a lot to me and I feel like this is one of the things that really drives me forward in this part as well to see people that’s never watch MMA fall in love just because see me fight and see me talk or like me because Who I Am with everything that I that I that I did in my in my life you know come from Brazil from a small City you know I don’t know and a lot of people when go there with me say like how people find you here you know back then nowadays they see this a little big but back then it was like almost nothing it was more like a jungle a little city around so I feel like if I did they have a lot of little girls out there I can do so that makes me happy to hear when I see people tell me those things you have a wife you have two well second child on the way to share the journey with them how much has the journey changed because because of that um and is it even more special even more special and change it for better every fight week for me before Reagan always was like very hard because I stayed there in a room sometimes and don’t do anything you know like always always boring boring and I always like ah let’s let’s go away let’s go do something let’s go here now so I always try to feel that that image space that I you know that I have it and now see like making me laugh so this is how it is guys this is my fight week you know with a lot of love and like things to do discipline her you know read a book and do everything like I do at home so this is making me they fight week enjoyable okay last question my wife said okay when you ask her this please ask this for me you’re in a beautiful city one of the most beautiful cities in North America do you get to enjoy it with your family we spend a little bit extra time or have you seen some of our family of of our city with your family say it again will you enjoy Vancouver have you been enjoying our city that was the question my wife would ask okay okay do you get to enjoy the city and have you been enjoying our city yeah we went around a little bit but like I’m pretty sure I’m gonna stay two more days to do that you know my my schedule is pretty busy but like we went to a couple restaurants amazing they see this beautiful I went for a good run too and I always be able to see the combination of the mountains in the water is like unbelievable so and I just think he’s beautiful this is my second time here but the first time walk around a little bit you see everything it’s pretty cool man over here the real wife I say hi um not looking past Saturday night but is it is your understanding that Juliana Pena will fight the winner of this or could it be Raquel Pennington because she’s the backup for this fight neither you know what I mean I feel like either of the one of them is like is right there you know to to fight for the belt so I’m gonna be ready for them is it possible Myra Silva she’s finding Holly home if she gets a win is there a possibility of her maybe getting a title shot because the win over Holly would be pretty big for the division I don’t think so right now no no okay fair enough um and uh uh Irene’s teammate uh Alexa Grasso defeated an opponent that you fought uh twice Valentina um were you surprised by that win or did you feel like Alexa had a chance going into that fight I don’t I don’t always surprise you you know uh I fought I fought Valentina when she was in her prime you know and we both was growing you know in uh uh last fights we both was growing as a fighting you know and and he’s like Valentina have a lot of holes that says I can see you know I I would I wouldn’t be able to do you know back then but I I see I see how uh how Alex garage will be able to finish her and then uh Valentina said a lot of times that she thinks a third fight between the you know two of you will happen at some point but with her losing do you think you’ll probably never fight her again yeah I don’t I don’t know okay I think I think have a lot of noise in the 135 right now I don’t think UFC is going to stop and then go back with that Valentina thing that’s no sell nothing you know so um and I don’t know if you’ve been asked this before it’s been a while but Kayla Harrison’s coming uh he’s coming off a loss she hasn’t fought in a while I know there was some talk about her fighting you and all this uh what advice would you give to her because you’ve had losses before as well too is there anything you would say to her about having that first defeat and not being undefeated anymore she’s gonna learn me you know she’s just got he so she will learn it Amanda uh just you know uh wondering Irene’s had a few weight issues in the past she’s missed 135 a few times um she did it yeah and she said at 140 at catrite a few times as well uh any concern just for that information that she makes wait on Friday I will fight her and you I don’t have a problem now for the bout though the belt’s gonna be I decide safe but like I will face her so you will face it but won’t be a belt on the line yeah gotcha and you mentioned just when you’re talking about Juliana Pena and that day where she she won the belt from you you were seeing anyone but Juliana why why why anyone but Juliana that day what happened uh you mentioned uh you that day when you lost the belt of Juliana Pena like you couldn’t stomach the fact that she beats you but you could have maybe dealt with somebody else beating you why well I guess why was it so hard Julianna specifically beating you why was that hard to to stomach or swallow she’s not that good you know she’s not that good that was Hardy to swallow you know she’s crazy she’s like go forward and then punch and then I just been to office she have the belt you know she can get hit and no it’s like no way I knew I’m gonna go back then and get it about again you know so it’s not always down the second the second fight I’m gonna get in my belt back so and I did it so uh uh uh Trilogy isn’t on the table you think in in the event that you retain and and she wants to fight you again like I fight her again for sure after there’s no problem at all when you talk to Giuliano does it sometimes like annoy you that you know you beat her so conclusively in the second fight but she still says oh I made you I made you go Southport I changed the space Striker do you sit there and you get frustrated or what do you think when you hear those things yes you make me better yeah you know like this is MMA if she stick with her style uh I’m sorry you’re gonna be gone soon you know I’m like evolve all the time you know yeah I I can strike with my boss stand you know I can wrestle you my rest is better than yours you know you could stop my ground is better than yours I if you attack anything I can defend you know I’m stronger so I’m better than you everywhere you’re gone you’re gone a minute to your left um when this when when the fight with Pena was originally announced it was met with a somewhat of an eye roll from a lot of fans and I’m wondering if you felt that too like this is one of the rare times where an injury or replacement happens and fancy more excited for aldana than they did for Pena you know like everything can happen you know they they trained training for a championship fight so intense especially trained for for to fight me you know and especially like how she she went down uh uh second fight and when they replaced he came I feel like everybody like even the face was very happy about it you know they want to see this fight happen they they want to go watch here in Vancouver they want to use Main Event so I saw a lot of things a lot of bad like comments when they close me and Juliana and people know one and so when everything changed everybody got happy all right does it do more motivated are you more excited for this fight I I am you know I’m motivated Juliana too I would be too because uh the company is what makes me excited so no matter what we step in front of me that makes me excited and last one for me you talked about Reagan and obviously another child on the way are the training camps harder because now you have to be away from your family when you are in Camp No actually my gym have a pretty good setup you know I make everything to have my family with me if they want but like a Reagan go to school too you know so now she’s two and it’s more easy to to do because you know it ties all the time she’s in school and but like I make the gym and she have a huge space upstairs to to play around if you want so it’s not it’s not a problem at all have my family with me all the time I make it the the way to good for everybody you know and training is something that’s never able to never bother me because me Nina is a team you know if I cannot handle Reagan that moment she can handle so and we we go back and forth like that sometimes her daddy took help us like stay with the break a little bit he loves to stay with the Reagan who no love you stay with the Reagan so and yeah I know I don’t see like myself go away for so long I always tell UFC like if you guys gonna take me somewhere they have to come with me you know Reagan because a child is like two in two days they like change so much Nina went to to Disney with her for two days and they always stay home to keep training and then when she come back home she was speaking like things that I need and I never expected say like see imagine in one week I’m I’m not far away you know like no way so and um yeah I go everywhere with them I love to have them around me and 10 years together me Nina wadao go anywhere a part of each other so we we good together we are best friends too very cool thank you thank you question right here Armada uh you were just talking about uh your your gym that you’re running out of yourself you now want to know when running uh your own Camp under your new gym just wondering has there been any challenges or any Lessons Learned even though you’re victorious in the one fight under uh have you learned anything since doing that experience running your own camp you know the challenge I thought is going to be a challenge to put it a gym together you know because I never did it before I know I I was in a lot of gym and I see how crazy it is to put a gym together but like when things started coming together it was like surprising see like this is meant to be you know I supposed to like going my own like that is supposed to open my gym and they space it was like a space that I that I was surprised you know I always tell you know like I wanna a bill today to have like tall tall ceilings all those things so when we got in the place was exactly what I want and and I put the gym together and challenging um only with the training party they want to kick my ass and and and and make me better so I feel like the challenge that I get is for my training partners uh since that you’ve sort of have a renewed Spirit since starting up this new gym can you put in the words exactly what it is about opening up your new gym that’s giving you this renowned renewed motivation yeah when is something that’s yours you know you know who is going all the time who is going to train you who nobody’s allowing side only you who you want when you open I open the door every day of the studio it’s like it’s not only gym is the center you know have you all my my posters in the wall all the things that’s motivating me to to really really move forward and everything so I feel like that that is what is like really keeping me in my toes you know when you’ll be able to to really like get comfortable and I I don’t say like as much like scared but like you want to walk in a in a place and you feel good you know feel threat you know and you want to have the coach for you you know when you become a champion like you always wanted your coach and you want to be with your with your uh training they are closing you know very closely when you see your coach train your other girls and the girls it can be my future the opponents that was another level of thoughts you know so this guy helped me to become who I am and help another girl to what to beat me maybe one day you know that was like if you think about it like they know why not think about that in that way but as a champion I see my coach training this girl that’s talk about me that’s one of my belt and they still like give you some advice to her even maybe one day we face it so you know thinking like that little energy she have for my coach will help her to get it these things you know what I mean so but this is one thing is of me you know a lot of Fighters can think different so when I started get really um you know it’s not it’s like people do whatever they want but like I do it my my way I know it’s good for me Amanda did it right here I yeah so Amanda June is a pride month in Canada which celebrates the lgbtq plus Community uh how happy are you to fight on this stage and represent that Community during pride month it’s pretty cool I take it that way like I’m I’m like um I take it as smooth as possible and and I feel like I live my life the way I love it too I feel like now is a good way to to put these out there you know I’m not into that much you know in the community obviously but like I I really love to be able to represent you know as like be myself be with my family be happy you know leave it respect to people people respect to me a lot of people asking me like why you not be more into the community all those things help more like I say like you gotta you gotta respect in my position you know I do good things so that is a good way to already help the community to you know be respected by others if I respect people living my life you know uh I feel like that is gonna help other people to look up to everybody in a different way so and and yeah I feel like in that way now step in the cage in the in the pride month it’s pretty cool you know I’m very excited and and if I’ll be able to help the way I help I like to help I feel I feel good about it thank you good foreign