There she met Nina Ansaroff, who trained in the same gym. The two, who were initially sparring partners, soon became romantically involved. They soon shared a two-bedroom house with seven other people in Little Haiti, a Miami neighborhood with some of the city’s highest poverty rates.
Their lives began to stabilize as they entered the UFC, and after winning two of her first three fights, Nunes went on to go on with a 12-fight win that cemented her legacy. She often sent the biggest stars in women’s mixed martial arts — including Tate, Rousey, Holm and Justino — in devastating knockouts or submissions.
Nina Nunes – they married in 2019 – had always wanted children, but Amanda Nunes was hesitant.
“My dream was always to be a mother, hers was to become a champion, so it was about finding the time for both to understand,” said Nina Nunes.
“I had those moments of, ‘Oh, I’m not sure I’m going to be a good mom, I’m not sure I wanted to be,'” Amanda Nunes said. “I was a bit confused. It’s a baby, it’s not a dog.”
The timing was on par, Nina Nunes said after losing a fight in June 2019. She and Amanda Nunes later started the test tube fertilization process, using donor sperm. Amanda Nunes said her parenting doubts disappeared when she first saw Raegan. That elation continued even as she learned how to change diapers as her wife recovered from childbirth.
“This is the next step in my life now, and I love it,” said Amanda Nunes.
What mommy does ‘is important’
Isabella’s burgundy car seat enlivens the otherwise monochromatic interior of Peña’s white BMW SUV, keeping the child safe as she and her mother roam the Chicago suburbs.