"She cannot be here in my gym. She has to go" - Amanda Nunes opens up on the role Kayla Harrison's presence at ATT played on her split with the gym
Amanda Nunes made the decision to leave her longtime home gym, American Top Team, and open up her own facility following her loss to Julianna Pena. Much was read into the decision at the time, with people speculating that a fallout with management or coaching could have unfolded.
In the build-up to Nunes' rematch with Pena this weekend, she was interviewed by Daniel Cormier and asked about her reasons for leaving the gym. She opened up by saying that Kayla Harrison's attendance of ATT was a large factor in her decision to leave.
"I don't want to walk in the gym and have a girl there that's training with my coach... in my gym and, like, attacking me all the time on social media. And when we walk in the gym and train, we are best friends. It's like, that's not gonna work man. If you want to fight me, you're going to fight me."
Nunes said she began to feel uncomfortable going to the gym with Harrison tormenting her online. Although Nunes and Harrison were never training partners for full training camps at a time, they would help each other with certain things on occasion.
Nunes claimed that, after a while, even those brief exchanges became too much to bear and that she or Harrison had to go.
Watch the video below:
Amanda Nunes says Julianna Pena is "in her own world"
Amanda Nunes spoke to MMA media at the pre-fight press conference earlier this week and was asked if she had learned anything about Julianna Pena during their time together on The Ultimate Fighter.
Nunes responded by saying this:
"I just think she's weird, you know. But, she is in her own world there, and I was doing my own thing. So, we never saw each other that much either. Just a couple of times when the fights happen."
The former champion struggled to gain any insights into an opponent she claimed to be dissociated from the show.
Amanda Nunes will, however, be looking to use the insights she gained in her loss to Pena to come out victorious this weekend. 'The Lioness' has nothing left to prove in this sport, and at this point, she is only fighting for legacy.
Watch the video below from 11:44 for Nunes' response to the TUF question: