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Amanda Nunes is the greatest women’s mixed martial artist in history. The Brazilian-born two-division UFC champion has defeated every significant women’s fighter of her era — including Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, and Valentina Shevchenko — with a combination of elite boxing, excellent cardio, and the kind of finishing instinct that produces results in spectacular fashion. Her record is simply the best in women’s MMA history.

Early Life and Journey to MMA

Amanda Lourenco Nunes was born on May 30, 1988, in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil. She grew up training in martial arts, including Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and developed the striking foundation that would become her primary weapon in MMA. She trained at American Top Team in Florida — one of the premier MMA gyms in the world — which provided her access to world-class training partners and coaching.

Nunes joined the UFC in 2013 and won her first five UFC fights before getting a title shot. Her performances showed a fighter with exceptional power and striking volume, but it was not until her title run that the full picture of her ability became apparent.

Winning the Bantamweight Title

On July 9, 2016, at UFC 200, Nunes challenged Miesha Tate for the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Tate had beaten Holly Holm to claim the belt, ending the Rousey era. Nunes submitted Tate in the first round, became the new bantamweight champion, and issued a challenge immediately: she wanted Ronda Rousey next.

Destroying Ronda Rousey

On December 30, 2016, at UFC 207, Amanda Nunes faced Ronda Rousey in Rousey’s comeback fight. Rousey had spent a year away, working on her striking, and was expected to be a different fighter. Instead, Nunes walked forward and destroyed her in 48 seconds with a series of punches that TKO’d Rousey before she could establish any offense. The result confirmed that the Rousey era was definitively over and the Nunes era had begun.

Beating Cris Cyborg

Cris “Cyborg” Justino was the most feared women’s fighter on the planet — a massive knockout artist who had gone undefeated for over a decade in professional MMA. Her move to the UFC at featherweight had produced dominant performances. A fight with Nunes was considered the biggest women’s fight possible.

On December 29, 2018, at UFC 232, Nunes and Cyborg met for the UFC women’s featherweight title. Nunes knocked Cyborg out in 51 seconds with a series of right hands that ended the fight before it could develop. The knockout was one of the most stunning in women’s MMA history and made Nunes a simultaneous two-division UFC champion.

Title Defenses and Dominance

Nunes defended both titles successfully. At bantamweight, she defeated Germaine de Randamie (twice), Felicia Spencer, and Julianna Pena — though the Pena fight produced her only loss, a stunning second-round submission that ended her first bantamweight title reign before she reclaimed it in the rematch.

Her two fights with Valentina Shevchenko — each a closely contested five-rounder — showed that she could compete at the highest level even against one of the sport’s most technically gifted fighters. She won the first; the second went to Shevchenko by decision.

Fighting Style

Nunes’s style is primarily boxing-based with excellent MMA grappling. Her punching power is extraordinary for a bantamweight — she has knocked out larger and physically imposing fighters with single shots. Her combination work is fast and accurate, and she applies pressure that makes opponents react defensively rather than offensively.

She has shown the ability to fight differently depending on the opponent — using more movement against technical strikers, applying more pressure against fighters who prefer distance. This tactical flexibility is one of the marks of a truly elite fighter.

Legacy

Amanda Nunes’s credentials as the greatest women’s MMA fighter in history are overwhelming. She has beaten every significant women’s fighter in UFC history — Rousey, Cyborg, Tate, de Randamie, Spencer — and competed with Shevchenko at the highest level. Her two-division championship is matched only by a handful of fighters in UFC history at any gender.

When she retired from MMA in 2023, she left as the most accomplished women’s fighter ever to compete. Her place in UFC history is permanent and singular.