Nunes On Anxiety After Retirement Ahead Of UFC 334

Amanda Nunes spent years chasing championships and breaking records. When she stopped, the mental fallout caught her off guard. The UFC Hall of Famer told the MightyCast podcast she struggled with anxiety and feared depression during her time away from the cage, a struggle she says few fighters address publicly.

Nunes vacated the bantamweight title at UFC 289 in June 2023 after a run many consider the greatest in women's MMA history. She returns Saturday to face Kayla Harrison at UFC 334, her first Octagon appearance since hanging up the gloves. The main event reunites former American Top Team teammates in a five-round bantamweight bout.

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How Retirement Changed Nunes' Mental State

The shift hit harder than expected. Without training camps or titles to pursue, Nunes said her brain chemistry changed and she lost her sense of identity. "I never prepared for life after fighting, and that's really dangerous," she said, per BJPenn.com. The abrupt end to competition left a void she struggled to fill.

Nunes called out the lack of conversation around fighter mental health after retirement. She said she now understands what Dustin Poirier has faced in similar transitions, and she needed to find a new purpose beyond the sport that defined her adult life.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Polymarket UFC 334 on Ticketmaster →

The Harrison fight positions Nunes for a future title shot if she wins. Saturday marks the first time since 2023 she will step into the cage as anything other than champion.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Amanda Nunes opens up on mental health struggles during pre-UFC 334 retirement