Sorry, but Amanda Nunes won’t defend her title on May 9 without full training camp

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President, Dana White, is preparing to stage the promotion’s comeback event on May 9, 2020, with a star-studded cast that tentatively included a championship bout between women’s Featherweight champion, Amanda Nunes, and top-ranked contender, Felicia Spencer.

However, he apparently didn’t run it by Nunes, who recently revealed she won’t be fighting on May 9, preferring to mount her comeback one month later to get a full training camp under her belt(s).

“Actually, I’m not fighting May 9,” Nunes told CBS Sports. “I’m going to fight, [but] I don’t know yet. I don’t think this is the right time for me right now to fight. Let this coronavirus pass a little bit so I can at least have a full camp.

“We can maybe see around June, [but] let’s see what is going to happen,” she continued. “But I’m not fighting [May 9].”

Nunes hasn’t competed since she defeated Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 in Dec. 2019. Furthermore, the recent pause on combat sports because of coronavirus has kept most fighters a bit more relaxed, so you can’t blame her for not being in tip-top shape at the moment.

As for Spencer, she earned herself a shot at Nunes’ 145-pound strap — which was originally set for UFC 250 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 9 — after defeating Zarah Fairn dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 169 earlier this year.

That said, White’s plans to stage a comeback event only surfaced a few weeks ago, and most fighters targeted to compete have yet to commit because of the uncertain times COVID-19 has caused. But as indicated by the promotion’s latest press release, no one is going to be fighting anytime soon.

The proposed Nunes vs. Spencer bout was one of three title fights targeted for the May 9 event, with the Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje interim Lightweight title fight to serve as headliner, while a Bantamweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz would serve as co-headliner.