By Dane McGuire
UFC women’s champ-champ Amanda Nunes and the former Nina Ansaroff took to Instagram recently, posting a picture and a separate video from a doctor’s office to announce they are once again expecting a daughter.
The couple announced April 22 on Instagram they will be having a second daughter, Hazel Ann Nunes. For the meantime, Amanda will also be otherwise focusing on a title defense against Juliana Pena at 135 pounds in a trilogy bout.
The fight is set to headline UFC 289 in the UFC’s return to Canada, taking place in Vancouver on June 10.
“I love Canada. I love that place. I love doing events there,” UFC President Dana White said to Canadian Press on April 20. “I can’t wait to get back to Toronto. As a city, it’s one of my favorites in the world. I love Toronto.
“I love the people in Canada. Believe it or not, I really like the media there in Canada too. There ain’t much about Canada I don’t like. If I had to pick something that I don’t like about Canada, it’d probably be the snow and that’s about it.”
“…Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all time,” UFC President Dana White said. “Julianna Pena is a little savage. She’s hungry. She always goes after what she wants and she wants this fight bad.
“Plus as far the trilogy goes, this one needs a payoff. You need to see who’s going to win the best-of-three.”
The series is split at one each after Nunes won the title back at UFC 277 in Peña’s first outing as champion. Nunes won via unanimous decision,50-45, 50-44, and 50-43, at UFC 277 following a submission loss at UFC 269.
Despite the history, Nunes has since said she expected to face top contender Irene Aldana next.
Nunes said of the next match-up with Peña, “Obviously, it’s five rounds, I look [forward] to that,” Nunes said. “It’s gonna be domination. If I have the opportunity to finish her, I will this time finish her. Whatever happens, I’m gonna be the one who has their hand raised at the end of the night.”
“I always say I leave it to what UFC decides,” Nunes told ESPN. “I’m ready, I’ve been training, I’m healthy. So, whatever UFC wants to do, I’m ready. I love to do this, I love to fight. I’m here to defend my belt, and Julianna wants it again, I don’t have any problems with defending my belt against her.
“I did [think it would be Aldana]. I thought it was gonna be her. Everything changed to Julianna and I was okay with it, too. No matter what, whatever UFC showed me the opponent, I’m gonna be happy to defend my belt.”
Meanwhile Aldana is currently rumored to be facing Raquel Pennington and it had been thought the two would face off at UFC San Antonio last month. As of yet, nothing has been made official.