"You can't trust anyone in that gym" - Julianna Pena has a theory on why Amanda Nunes left American Top Team
Julianna Pena recently shared her thoughts on what might have prompted Amanda Nunes to leave American Top Team (ATT).
'The Venezuelan Vixen' speculated during a media scrum that Nunes' departure from ATT was due to trust issues. She also mentioned friend-turned-adversaries Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, implying that fighters in ATT had a complicated relationship that could sometimes lead to awkwardness in the gym.
Pena also mentioned how Kayla Harrison expressed her desire to fight Nunes despite being her ATT teammate. The bantamweight champion believes that may have persuaded Nunes to leave the gym. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' said:
"I don't know exactly what happened but I feel like that's definitely some part of why she feels like she needs to leave, especially with, you know, them saying, 'You know Kayla Harrison's the team captain, how do you feel about that?' ... 'Now Kayla Harrison was my training partner but now Kayla Harrison wants to fight me for a mega million-dollar fight...' Who's really your friend here? You can't trust anyone in that gym."
Watch Julianna Pena's full media scrum below:
Jorge Masvidal reacts to Amanda Nunes' departure from American Top Team
The loss of Amanda Nunes, according to Jorge Masvidal, was a major setback for ATT. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Masvidal praised Nunes' achievements during her time at the Coconut Creek-based team and wished her well in the future.
Sharing his thoughts on 'The Lioness', Masvidal said:
"To see her progress is amazing. To see her progress under American Top Team, my same gym, [it's] like, wow! I never worked out with her or sparred or anything but to some extent, the journey that she had was like shared with me. It just definitely hurts not to have her there, I think. But man, I'm just always wishing the best for her. She's going to do her own thing... Obviously it hurts and obviously I want her [to stay] at American Top Team and I think we all do, we all love her. So it's like a... it's a devastating blow."
Watch 'Gamebred' give his opinion on Amanda Nunes' departure below: