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Amanda Nunes is the greatest women’s fighter in the history of the UFC. Full stop. The Brazilian legend is the only fighter — male or female — to hold UFC championships in two divisions simultaneously while defending both. During her prime, she was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the entire roster. She defeated every significant name the women’s divisions could offer, often with finishing performances that left the combat sports world speechless.

Early Life and Career

Born on May 30, 1988, in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil, Amanda Nunes grew up training in judo and later transitioned to MMA in her teenage years. She relocated to the United States to pursue her career, training out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida — one of the most elite combat sports gyms in the world.

Her early UFC career was inconsistent — flashes of brilliance mixed with losses that suggested she hadn’t yet put everything together. That changed when her personal life stabilized; she married fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff and, in her own words, found peace that translated directly into performance.

The Championship Era

Bantamweight Title (2016–2021, 2022–2023)

Nunes captured the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship at UFC 200 in July 2016, stopping Miesha Tate in round 5. What followed was the most dominant championship reign in women’s MMA history. She defended the title nine times over seven years, defeating:

• Ronda Rousey — Destroyed the sport’s biggest star in 48 seconds at UFC 207. Rousey never fought again.
• Valentina Shevchenko (twice) — Won two controversial decisions over the future flyweight queen.
• Raquel Pennington — TKO victory in a fight that showed Nunes’s ruthless finishing instinct.
• Holly Holm — Stopped the former champion in round 1 with a combination of punches and a guillotine choke attempt.
• Germaine de Randamie — One-sided TKO victory.
• Julianna Peña (rematch) — Dominant decision win after losing the title in the original upset.

Featherweight Title (2019–2021)

Nunes moved up to 145 lbs and stopped Cris Cyborg in round 1 at UFC 232 — arguably the greatest upset in women’s MMA history. Cyborg had been undefeated for 13 years at that point and was considered by many to be the best women’s fighter alive. Nunes knocked her out in 51 seconds. She became the first women’s two-division champion in UFC history.

The Peña Upset

At UFC 269 in December 2021, Julianna Peña submitted Nunes in round 2 in a result that shocked the entire combat sports world. Peña had been a heavy underdog and Nunes appeared to be cruising through round 1. The finish — a rear-naked choke with less than a minute remaining in round 2 — was one of the most stunning upsets in UFC history. Nunes reclaimed the title in the rematch with a dominant decision, but the aura of invincibility was gone.

Fighting Style: Power and Ferocity

Nunes is a physical specimen — large for her weight class, explosively powerful, and mentally ferocious. Her game is built on:

• Explosive striking power — Knockout power in both hands at bantamweight is nearly unique. She has finished world-class fighters with single punches.
• Boxing speed — Her hand speed is exceptional, and her combinations are crisp and powerful.
• Judo base — Her takedown defense and scrambling ability are rooted in her early judo training.
• Submission offense — Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Dangerous from guard and in scrambles.
• Pressure fighting — She walks opponents down and forces exchanges that favor her physical advantages.

Legacy

Amanda Nunes is the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion on eight occasions and the Women’s Featherweight Champion on one occasion. She is the most decorated women’s fighter in MMA history. The Lioness changed the sport — not just in terms of what she accomplished, but in how she did it: with dominance, power, and a joy that made every performance feel like she was having the time of her life.

The list of fighters she defeated reads as a who’s-who of women’s MMA: Rousey, Cyborg, Holm, Shevchenko (twice), Peña (in the rematch). To beat the best, repeatedly, across two weight classes, across nearly a decade — that is the definition of greatness.