WATCH: Despite teasing comeback, ‘GOAT’ Amanda Nunes seen celebrating with Raquel Pennington’s family at UFC 297

Despite a lackluster bout, veteran Amanda Nunes is seen celebrating with Raquel Pennington's family ringside.

WATCH: Despite teasing comeback, ‘GOAT’ Amanda Nunes seen celebrating with Raquel Pennington’s family at UFC 297

Amanda Nunes hugging Tecia Torres at UFC 297 (Source: Instagram, @espnmma)

Not many enjoyed Raquel Pennington‘s UFC 297 women’s bantamweight title win over Mayra Bueno Silva. The UFC 297 Women’s title fight for the vacant 135lbs title gold left fans curiously morbid. Over what they labeled a snooze fest. The highly anticipated, albeit slow bout went all 5 rounds, and Pennington emerged victor. Amidst these though, something that was delightful for fight fans to see was the inclusion of Amanda Nunes.

Nunes hung up her gloves after retaining her women’s bantamweight title last June with a victory over Irene Aldana. The former P4P queen and a veteran of her weight class, Nunes was ringside for UFC 297. A surfaced footage shows Nunes hugging Pennington’s family as soon as she became champion in the octagon.

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Nunes is seen hugging an emotional Tecia Torres, UFC strawweight and wife to Pennington. Pennington was the former women’s bantamweight contender. She lost to Amanda Nunes at UFC 224, but the latter holds no grudges, whatsoever. Even though she has ample reason to nurture a feud. Speaking to ESPN MMA‘s Megan Olivi, the former champion didn’t rule out a UFC return.

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On Olivi doubling down on it, she nudged on still feeling like a champion. But despite such circumstances and future aspirations, she holds no grudge for ‘Rocky’ or Bueno Silva. She even penned down a message handing over her legacy to them, pre-UFC 297.

Having handed over her legacy, veteran Amanda Nunes hypes up all-women UFC 297 co-mains affair

Akin to Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev, the women’s bantamweight has their G.O.A.T – in the form of Amanda Nunes. And she knows her worth.

Amanda Nunes hypes up Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva before UFC 297
Amanda Nunes hypes up Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva before UFC 297 (Twitter/br.UFC.com)

The fighter recently teased a probable return to active fighting status, thus facing subsequent beratement from Julianna Peña. Peña slammed her contemplating a return; not her first time. The fighter had received much flack for constantly disrupting Nunes’ retirement speech at UFC 289.

Notably, she also critiqued the UFC 297 all-women’s co-main affair way beforehand. Raquel Pennington outlasted Mayra Bueno Silva over all 5 rounds. Despite lacking a dominant finish, the judges scored her 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45, thus winning her the vacant gold.

Unlike Peña though, Nunes is not contemplating any active rivalry with the duo. In the lead-up, she took social media (both X and IG) to wish the title contenders the best of luck for the upcoming match.

Such feats only speak to the worth of the ‘Lioness’. She rings true as the queen of the jungle, holding a prestige spot above all.

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