Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Amanda Nunes’ coach reveals timeline for UFC super-fight against Kayla Harrison: ‘We are cooking’

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow
By Christopher De Santiago | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 7:50 PM ET

Amanda Nunes has got a month in mind for her UFC return.

The greatest female fighter of all time took the MMA world by surprise earlier this year when she confirmed she’d be coming out of retirement.

Amanda Nunes retired on top in 2023 after her 11th title fight win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

Now back in the drug testing pool, Nunes is preparing to make her return against former teammate and current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison.

Harrison faced off with Nunes in the Octagon after she submitted Julianna Pena at UFC 316 in June.

Months later, Nunes and Harrison still don’t have a fight lined up. One of Nunes’ coaches recently shared an update on when we could see the potential super-fight.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Din Thomas says Amanda Nunes wants to fight Kayla Harrison in December

Din Thomas says ‘The Lioness’ is looking to feed sooner rather than later.

The former UFC fighter and coach says everything is underway for Nunes, who hasn’t had a training camp in over two years.

“We in the lab cooking now,” Thomas said on UFC Unfiltered.

“Me and Amanda, she’s putting a team together.

“We are cooking now and she’s hoping for December,” Thomas said of Nunes’ return timeline.

As of this writing, the UFC has not booked any fights for December yet.

“She was like, ‘I’m going crazy. I gotta find something to do…'” Thomas said of Nunes wanting to fight soon.

“She’s healthy. She has no injuries and we’re right now in the process of organizing her life and camp and training so that she can just get to the fight in December, if it happens in December.

“No injuries. Just as strong and as clean as possible…”

Din Thomas explains why Amanda Nunes will ‘fight better’ against Kayla Harrison

Nunes might not have shared the Octagon with Harrison before but she knows all about her next opponent.

Nunes and Harrison were teammates at American Top Team for years before Nunes left the gym in 2022, citing Harrison as the reason for the split.

As accomplished and great as she is, the UFC Hall of Famer isn’t looking past Harrison one bit.

“Amanda said this yesterday: ‘I know how strong [Harrison] is… I felt her, and she’s really strong. And I know what she’s capable of doing, but that excites me.’

“The fact that she knows how capable Kayla is of beating her excites her even more,” Thomas explained.

“It excites her even more, and she fights better when she’s excited like that,” Nunes’ coach added.

Nunes had one of the best performances of her career after she lost her title to Julianna Pena by submission at UFC 269.

@Amanda_Leoa just became the first woman in UFC history score three knockdowns in a single fight! #UFC277 pic.twitter.com/YVnWxLdkFW
— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 2022