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Amanda Nunes is the greatest women’s mixed martial arts fighter in history — a claim supported by a record that no other fighter, male or female, can match. The two-division UFC champion known as “The Lioness” knocked out Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg, and Miesha Tate. She submitted Valentina Shevchenko (twice). She dominated every major name in women’s MMA at her peak, ending careers and making definitive statements across both bantamweight and featherweight.

Background: From Brazil to the UFC

Amanda Nunes was born on May 30, 1988, in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil. She began training jiu-jitsu and kickboxing as a teenager and quickly developed into an elite prospect with a combination of power, submission skills, and competitive mentality. She compiled an impressive record in Brazilian promotions before getting the opportunity to compete in the UFC in 2013.

Her early UFC career was promising but inconsistent — she went 4-2 in her first six fights, including a submission loss to Cat Zingano and a knockout loss to Alexis Davis. The inconsistency made her title shot against Miesha Tate in July 2016 seem premature to some observers. What followed changed women’s MMA forever.

Becoming Champion: Submitting Miesha Tate

Nunes submitted Miesha Tate with a rear naked choke in the first round to claim the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. The performance was emphatic — Nunes’ power and pace simply overwhelmed Tate, demonstrating that her early losses had reflected mental obstacles as much as skill gaps. With the mental barriers cleared, the true Amanda Nunes emerged: relentless, powerful, technically excellent.

Knocking Out Ronda Rousey in 48 Seconds

Ronda Rousey was the most famous women’s athlete in the world when she challenged Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016. Despite the loss to Holly Holm that ended her unbeaten run, Rousey remained one of boxing’s biggest draws and a legitimate betting favorite with many. Nunes destroyed her in 48 seconds with thunderous punches that Rousey had no answer for, demonstrating definitively that Rousey’s striking game could not compete with the elite level.

The performance was brutal and definitive. It answered questions about both fighters and established Nunes as not just a champion but a dominant force who could dismantle the sport’s biggest names.

The Cyborg Fight: Best Women’s MMA Fight Ever

At UFC 232 in December 2018, Nunes faced Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino for the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship. Cyborg, undefeated in MMA for 13 years and considered by many the most physically imposing women’s fighter ever, was widely expected to present the greatest test of Nunes’ career.

Nunes knocked her out in 51 seconds. The combination of speed and power she brought to 145 pounds — a weight class where she was the naturally smaller fighter — was simply too much for Cyborg to handle. The victory made Nunes a simultaneous two-division champion and arguably the most dominant champion in UFC history regardless of gender.

Defeating Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenko

Nunes defeated Holly Holm — the fighter who had knocked out Rousey — by unanimous decision in July 2019, adding another major name to her resume. Her two victories over Valentina Shevchenko, though controversial in their closeness, established that she could beat the most technically sophisticated fighter in women’s MMA.

By the time of her 2023 title loss to Julianna Pena in their rematch (she had dominated Pena in their second fight), Nunes had already constructed an unassailable legacy as the sport’s greatest women’s fighter.

Fighting Style: Power, Speed, and Finishing Instinct

Nunes’ fighting style is built on ferocious striking power delivered at exceptional speed. Her combination punching — particularly her right hand and left hooks to the body — has finished fighters who no one else had stopped. She throws with power and intent on every strike, creating a sustained offensive that overwhelms opponents who can’t match her physical tools.

She is also a capable grappler with BJJ skills that produce submission finishes when fights go to the mat. The complete package made her essentially impossible to prepare for: too powerful for strikers, too technically diverse for grapplers, too well-rounded for any single-discipline specialist.

Legacy: The Greatest of All Time

Amanda Nunes’ legacy is straightforward: she is the greatest women’s fighter in the history of MMA. Her two-division championships, her finishes of Rousey, Holm, and Cyborg — three of the sport’s most celebrated fighters — and her sustained dominance over nearly a decade at the elite level create an argument that admits no serious counterargument.

She demonstrated that a Brazilian fighter from a modest background could become the sport’s most feared competitor through hard work, natural gifts, and the right mental framework. The Lioness earned every accolade and every superlative, and her place in combat sports history is permanent and unambiguous.