Here we go again: Amanda Nunes coming out of retirement

It's gotten to the point these days that I don't ever believe when some MMA fighter says that they are going to retire, then go through the lengthy process of being recognized for their accomplishments, do some sort of press tour, perhaps look at their other career options for a while, then almost unanimously end up waltzing back into MMA a year or two later.

The ceremony of placing one's gloves in the octagon or ring after a fight signifying that they are done with the sport, doesn't really seem to mean anything anymore because almost all of them eventually come back.

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Nunes' retirement was particularly eventful because the women's division has never seen a champion as dominant as her. She literally went through the entire roster and Dana White and co even introduced new characters into the UFC in order to give her someone to punch in the face. I'm talking about the much hyped Cris Cyborg and how Nunes dispatched her in the 1st round in what looked like an easy job.

Shortly thereafter (in terms of how long it takes UFC to get things moving) she had a few more fights, the enthusiasm towards anyone believing that anyone stood even a modicum of a chance against her waned dramatically and her fights were normally booked at something ridiculous like -900 favorites for her to emerge victorious. The only exception was a huge upset fight against Juliana Pena back at UFC 269 only to get absolutely destroyed by Amanda in the rematch.

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Other than that one fight, which reeked of "changing of the guard" desperation, Nobody could touch Nunes and she decided to leave.

But I wonder if this was all planned and was just a chance to let the other kids have some sort of rotation of the belts for a bit in order for there to be some sort of hype surrounding her return.

Let's face it: A dominant champion that simply destroys everyone that he or she is up against every time stops being interesting after a while and I suspect that the sales for her gigs were diminishing and perhaps this decision to "retire" wasn't even her own.

_{most of her fights weren't even close}

She left rather quietly and nobody really heard anything from her or about her for nearly 2 years. Then, lo' and behold, she gets featured on the screen attending the most recent UFC event and then a few days later she announces she is returning to the octagon to compete again later this year.

Is this all planned? Was she never really retired but was just sitting out a few plays while allowing the women's divisions that she previously dominated to marinate with other talent for a while?

Nearly every big star that retires from UFC either is headed towards other more lucrative things such as commentating, acting, or being offered more money in stupid exhibition boxing, or they hang out on the sidelines for a few years then come strolling back in.

Is this all intentional? It honestly wouldn't surprise me seeing as how UFC is a carefully controlled and extremely profitable business that despite his statements to the contrary, is controlled by one man: Dana White.

Everyone, including me, will be hyped when Nunes is slated to return because the women's division has been pretty stale since she departed. I'm just kind of upset because I don't think any of this is real. I think it is carefully contrived and decided years beforehand and the management knows that these things are going to happen long before they do. I guess I appreciate the stars' ability to keep things quiet until being "activated" by their handlers.