By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
Amanda Nunes is one of the most dominant fighters in MMA history. On Saturday, the UFC two-division champion proved once again why she’ll most certainly earn her own wing in the UFC Hall of Fame when she chooses to take her belts and go home.
It took just 2:03 of the first round for her to connect on a flurry of heavy right hands and then submit six-foot tall, athletic Megan Anderson, who never posed any threat whatsoever in the fight.
Nunes has achieved just about every accolade available to an MMA fighter. Among women, Nunes has the most wins in UFC history (14), the most title fights in UFC history (9), and the most consecutive UFC wins (12). She hasn’t lost a professional fight since September 2014.
It’s been a long climb to the top for the 32-year-old. Born in Pojuca, Brazil, Nunes escaped a region consumed by poverty, crime, and drug abuse among other oppressive challenges. In some ways, she didn’t have any other choice but to fight her way out of it. She was raised by a single mother who early on encouraged her to explore combat sports. At the age of four she began studying karate, moved onto Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu as a teen, and made her unsuccessful professional fighting debut in 2008.
Nunes is currently the only woman, and just one of four fighters ever, to hold dual championships simultaneously in UFC history. Even more impressive is the fact that she has successfully defended both.
Today, she sits at the top of two UFC divisions earning the bantamweight belt by disposing of Ronda Rousey in 2016.
Since the pandemic shut down sports and forced UFC to sequester events at its Apex headquarters in Las Vegas, Nunes has appeared on June 6 in a successful title defense against Felicia Spencer.
After all she’s achieved as an athlete, Nunes carried her greatest prize into Las Vegas this week. Nunes’ wife, UFC strawweight Nina Ansaroff, gave birth to the couple’s first child in September. Already one of the most pleasant athletes you could ever encounter, the champ known as The Lioness has been absolutely beaming with joy since the arrival of her baby cub, Reagan Ann.
I feel like it’s a step in my life. Other times like ‘what is next?’ What is going to keep me moving forward in the sport, like breaking records and having the belt of course with me. This time it’s different, this time I’m going to be able to share with my daughter…It’s just a new moment in my life and I’m like pretty excited and it makes me very happy. — UFC two-division champ Amanda Nunes
It’s hard to imagine her reign ending anytime soon. Her exit from the sport will 100 percent be her choice. The question that now remains is will fans get to witness what many, and rightfully so, have recognized as the best female fighter in combat sports history?
After the governor of Texas announced the state would lift all capacity restrictions, UFC president Dana White acknowledged the promotion is actively seeking a location in that state to bring fans back into the arena.
“As soon as the governor of Texas said that, I called,” White said. “Dallas said no. I’m working on Houston. We’ll see if we can get Houston done. I want to go to Texas ASAP. I’ll go in the next two, three weeks. I’m ready to roll. We’ll be first. We’ll open this thing up. We’ll sell it out and be on our way.”
White later reiterated to media the UFC could move one of its upcoming UFC 260 pay-per-view to Texas UFC 260 on March 27 or UFC 261 on April 24.
If fans want to catch this tremendous champion live the time is sooner rather than later. She will most likely take a few months off and perhaps return to the Octagon one last time later in 2021. “I’m more dangerous now with my little girl, so nobody’s going to stop me. I’m going to retire undefeated.”
There’s no reason to think otherwise.