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RIO DE JANEIRO – UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington’s friendship has come with the realization that one day, they would have to face off in the octagon.

Now that Pennington (9-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has finally arrived, Nunes (15-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) bears no grudge for her friend’s title aspirations, which come to a head on Saturday when they fight for the belt at UFC 224.

“Here we go, and now we step into the cage and do our work, and after we can be friends again,” Nunes told MMAjunkie in advance of the pay-per-view fight at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

In spite of their shared history, Nunes is all business about putting the relationship aside and defending her belt. As the champion, she’s acutely aware that her every performance reflects on her legacy. She’s also aware of the hunger that drives Pennington to bring home an upset, because she felt the same when she was climbing the UFC ranks.

“All the game plans she has in her mind, I know,” Nunes said. “Because I’ve been there before. I was a challenger. I was the underdog. I fought with somebody I had to pressure to get the fight done.

“I know how to read my opponent. I know how to adjust my game inside the cage, and I know how to break somebody mentally.”

Pennington might be a friend outside the cage, but Nunes believes her challenger lacks the experience to match her intensity inside it. She thinks Pennington the opponent won’t be much different than others who’ve tried to take away her title.

“I know she’s going to step into the cage and she’s going to pressure me,” Nunes said. “All my opponents look at my fights and want to pressure me. She’s going to try to exhaust me. But nothing’s going to change the result.”

Check out the full interview above with champ Amanda Nunes. And for more on UFC 224, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.