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Amanda Nunes loves being a mother, and she enters UFC 259 with renewed purpose

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It’s written all over her face, and you can hear it in her voice: Amanda Nunes loves being a mom.

The reigning UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion became a mother last year when she and her fiancee, fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff, had their first baby. It was Ansaroff who gave birth to daughter Raegan Ann Nunes on Sept. 24.

Five months into being a parent, Nunes has a hard time putting into words just how happy she’s been since welcoming Raegan into the world.

“This little girl’s amazing,” Nunes said in an interview with TSN. “I don’t even know how to explain it to people.”

For starters, motherhood has given Nunes a new sense of purpose. Last June after she dominated Felicia Spencer for her sixth consecutive title defense, Nunes brought up the possibility of retirement.

“I’m in a moment that I can retire, you know, and I’m in a moment that I can fight,” Nunes, 32, said at the time. “I’m fine. There’s nothing else to be done right now.”

Even if she didn’t mean it, the fact that Nunes even uttered the “R” word stunned everyone – nobody more than UFC president Dana White. Then again, consider: What does Nunes have left to prove? Since winning the 135-pound title in July 2016, Nunes has established herself as the consensus women’s MMA greatest of all time with eight consecutive wins that include a who’s who of the sport – Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, and Germaine de Randamie.

Nunes returns this Saturday at UFC 259 (on ESPN+ pay-per-view) to defend her 145-pound title against former Invicta FC champ Megan Anderson. Once again, Nunes is a massive favorite, with oddsmakers putting her as high as 14-1.

How could she possibly stay motivated after everything she’s accomplished? She thinks about Raegan.

Amanda Nunes and her daughter, Raegan.

“This time it’s different. This time I’m gonna be able to share with my daughter,” Nunes said. “To see my hand raised March 6, it’s gonna be the first time she’s gonna be there, and so I want to dedicate it for her. It’s just a new moment in my life. I’m pretty excited, and it makes me very happy. … When I train happy, it’s one of the best camps that I’ve had. Regan is bringing me that happiness that I can’t even explain to people sometimes.”

Despite what the odds say, there’s potential for the matchup to cause at least some problems for Nunes (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC). Anderson (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who’s riding the momentum of back-to-back wins, is easily the tallest opponent Nunes has faced at 6 feet tall. In order to replicate this, the 5-foot-8 Nunes said she trained a lot with men in camp. Where she’s giving up size, Nunes is confident she’ll make up for it with quickness.

“I feel like I’m gonna be fast, and I don’t think she’s gonna be able to see when I’m gonna do something,” Nunes said. “I feel like sometimes being too big is not really a good advantage. I feel like I’m gonna be fast, and she’s not gonna be able to keep up.”

It’s certainly helped having Raegan with her and Ansaroff in the gym.

“My experience with Regan is completely different than what a lot of people told me,” Nunes said. “She’s a very happy baby. I take her to the gym with me every day. She sits down. We put her in the car seat. She stays there, like we don’t even have a baby there. She’s a pretty good baby.”

“I’m very happy,” Nunes continued. “Definitely Raegan is a blessed baby, keeping me motivated more and more. She’s amazing.”

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