Amanda Serrano, the undisputed featherweight champion and No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, said Friday she is planning on making a return to mixed martial arts at some point in the future.
Serrano, 34, has fought in mixed martial arts before, holding a 2-0-1 record in MMA and a 5-0 record in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. She last fought in Jiu-Jitsu in 2019 and in MMA in 2021 when she beat Valentina Garcia by submission on the iKON Fighting Federation 7 card.
My 2 NoGi JiuJitsu Tournaments
5-0 4 Submissions to Win my Gold
Medals 🥇🥇I’m heading back to a JiuJitsu Tournament & an MMA Cage.
I’m undefeated in 3 MMA Fights
Not bad for a boxer huh? Lol pic.twitter.com/Z1i9Sdg52I
— Amanda Serrano (@Serranosisters) February 10, 2023
It’s unclear when Serrano would return to MMA and which promotion she would fight under. In the past she has fought on Combate and iKON cards, but her promoters, Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, signed deals to have minority equity stakes in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in January.
Her next boxing match is set — a rematch against Katie Taylor in Dublin, Ireland, on May 20.
“Amanda is one of the greatest boxers of all-time and she has uniquely demonstrated success in MMA and Jiu Jitsu as well like no other boxer to date,” Bidarian said in a text message to ESPN. “She is focused on her rematch with Katie Taylor, but has a deep desire to compete in the cage and Jiu Jitsu again.
“We are actively discussing her options for those returns.”
Serrano said in a subsequent tweet she would leave decisions about where she fought MMA to Most Valuable Promotions, which is run by Paul and Bidarian and that “I just fight lol.”
Serrano is one of the most accomplished boxers, male or female, in history. She has won world titles in seven weight divisions and on Saturday became an undisputed champion for the first time, beating Erika Cruz by unanimous decision for the featherweight titles.
She’ll move up in weight to fight Taylor in May for Taylor’s undisputed lightweight title. Serrano and Taylor headlined Madison Square Garden on April 30, 2022, the first time a female boxing match had headlined the big room at MSG.
The fight sold out and was considered fight of the year by multiple publications, including ESPN’s women’s fight of the year.
Source: www.espn.com