Amanda Lourenço Nunes (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the reigning champion of the women’s Bantamweight and Featherweightdivisions. She is the first woman to become a two-division UFC champion, and the third fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously, after Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier. She is also the first and only fighter in UFC history to defend two titles while actively holding them. Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time. As of June 2, 2020, she is #1 in the UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Early life
The youngest of three sisters, Nunes grew up with their single mother in Pojuca, a small town outside of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. She started training in karate at age four and pursued training in boxing at the age of sixteen. She first competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after being invited to a dojo by her sister, who also trained in the sport.
Mixed martial arts career
Nunes lived in New Jersey and trained at AMA Fight Club before moving to Miami to train at MMA Masters. She is currently training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. She has competed in both the 135-pound and 145-pound weight divisions and has stated that she intends to fight at 135 pounds for the foreseeable future.
Nunes made her professional debut on March 8, 2008, at Prime MMA Championship 2. She faced Ana Maria and was defeated by armbar submission in the first round.
Strikeforce
Nunes had won five straight fights, all by knockout prior to making her Strikeforce debut on January 7, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine in Nashville, Tennessee. She defeated Canadian Julia Budd by knockout in just 14 seconds.
Nunes was scheduled to fight Julie Kedzie at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on June 18, 2011, in Dallas, Texas. The bout, however, was cancelled after Nunes sustained a foot injury.
Nunes fought Alexis Davis on September 10, 2011, at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov. She lost the fight via TKO late in the second round. In the first round, Nunes started strongly with heavy strikes, but quickly faded. By the second round, Nunes was exhausted from the start of the round. While attempting a takedown she was instantly reversed and Davis was able to obtain full mount to finish Nunes with strikes.
Nunes signed to face Cat Zingano at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy on September 29, 2012, but the event was cancelled when Gilbert Melendez, who was set to defend his title against Pat Healy, sustained a knee injury in training that forced his withdrawal from the card.
Invicta FC
Nunes was scheduled to face Milana Dudieva at Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann on July 28, 2012. However, Dudieva withdrew from the fight due to illness on July 9 and Nunes was then scheduled to face Leslie Smith instead. Smith also withdrew due to an injury and Nunes ultimately faced Raquel Pa’aluhi. Nunes won the fight via technical submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.
On January 5, 2013, Nunes returned to Invicta FC to face Sarah D’Alelio at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt. Nunes lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Nunes was scheduled to face Kaitlin Young at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on April 5, 2013. However, she sustained an arm injury and was forced to withdraw from the fight.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Nunes made her Octagon debut against Sheila Gaff at UFC 163 on August 3, 2013, in Brazil. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Nunes made her second UFC appearance when she faced Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night 31 on November 6, 2013. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.
For her third fight with the promotion, Nunes was named the injury replacement for Shayna Baszler against Sarah Kaufman at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. However, Nunes later pulled out of the bout with a dislocated thumb.
Nunes faced Cat Zingano on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178. After nearly finishing Zingano with punches in the first round, she lost the next round before being finished via TKO in the third round.
Nunes faced Shayna Baszler on March 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 62. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Nunes faced Sara McMann on August 8, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 73. She won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round, after knocking her opponent down with a three punch combination.
Nunes faced Valentina Shevchenko on March 5, 2016, at UFC 196. She won the fight by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–27, and 29–27).
Bantamweight and Featherweight Champion
After amassing a three-fight win streak, Nunes earned her first title shot in the UFC. She faced Miesha Tate for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200. Nunes stunned Tate early on with knees and punches and then won the fight by submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round. Her victory made her the first openly gay champion in UFC history.
On December 30, 2016, Nunes made her first title defense against returning MMA superstar Ronda Rousey in the main event at UFC 207. Nunes won the fight via TKO due to punches 48 seconds into the first round.
For her second title defense, Nunes was scheduled to face Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch at UFC 213 on July 8, 2017. The pair originally fought at UFC 196, with Nunes winning by unanimous decision. However, Nunes was hospitalized the morning of the fight with chronic sinusitis and the fight was cancelled. Joanna Jędrzejczyk offered to replace Nunes, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission could not clear her on such short notice. Nunes instead fought Shevchenko at UFC 215 on September 9 in Edmonton, Alberta. Nunes won the closely contested fight by split decision. Out of 22 media outlets, 10 scored it for Nunes, 10 for Shevchenko, and 2 scored it a draw.
Nunes faced Raquel Pennington on May 12, 2018, at UFC 224. After a dominant performance, Nunes finished the fight with ground and pound at 2:36 of round five. This was the first event in UFC history to be headlined by two openly gay fighters.
Nunes moved up in weight to face Cris Cyborg for the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship on December 29, 2018, at UFC 232. Nunes knocked Cyborg out in 51 seconds of the first round to become the new UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion. This made her the first woman in UFC history to hold championship belts in different divisions simultaneously. This win also earned her the Performance of the Night award.
Nunes returned to Bantamweight to make her fourth title defense against former champion Holly Holm on July 6, 2019, at UFC 239. She won the fight via knockout in round one after dropping Holm with a head kick and following up with punches. This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.
Nunes faced Germaine de Randamie on December 14, 2019 at UFC 245 to defend her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. After outgrappling her opponent in every round, she won the fight via unanimous decision. This win meant Nunes had the most wins in women’s title fights in the UFC, with seven such wins.
Nunes was expected to face Felicia Spencer on May 9, 2020 at then UFC 250. However, on April 9, Dana White, president of the UFC announced that this event was postponed The bout eventually took place on June 6, 2020 at UFC 250. Nunes won via unanimous decision.
Nunes was expected to defend her featherweight title against Megan Anderson on December 2020 at UFC 256. However, it was announced on November 9 that Nunes pulled out due to an undisclosed injury and the bout was postponed to 2021. The pairing was rescheduled for March 6, 2021 at UFC 259. Nunes won the fight via triangle armbar in round one.
Other ventures
Nunes appears in the film Bruised starring Halle Berry.
Personal life
Amanda Nunes is the first openly lesbian champion in UFC history. Nunes is married to fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff, who competes in the Strawweight division. She credits her UFC success to their relationship. On September 24, 2020, Ansaroff gave birth to the couple’s first child, daughter Raegan Ann Nunes.
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship (one time; current)
- Five successful title defenses
- UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship (one time; current)
- Two successful title defenses
- First woman in UFC history to win two titles (Bantamweight and Featherweight) and to also hold them simultaneously
- First fighter in UFC history to defend titles in two divisions while holding both titles simultaneously
- Longest reigning UFC champion of all time (2567 days).
- Performance of the Night (five times) vs. Sara McMann, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm
- Most wins in UFC history amongst women (14)
- Most wins in UFC title fights amongst women (9)
- Most knockout wins in UFC Women’s Bantamweight division history (6)
- Most stoppage wins in UFC Women’s Bantamweight division history (8)
- Most consecutive wins in UFC history amongst women (12)
- Most consecutive wins in the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division (9)
- Tied for most consecutive wins in the UFC Women’s Featherweight division (3) (w. Cris Cyborg)
- Second-longest active winning streak in the UFC (12) (behind Kamaru Usman)]
- Most wins in UFC Women’s Bantamweight division history (11)
- Tied for most wins in UFC Women’s Bantamweight title fights (6) (w. Ronda Rousey)
- Tied for most wins in UFC Women’s Featherweight title fights (3) (w. Cris Cyborg)
- Sixth Multi-Divisional Champion in UFC History
- Holds wins over six former or current UFC champions, tied with Jon Jones for the most of any active fighter in the organisation — Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie (twice) and Cris Cyborg
- UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship (one time; current)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2015 August Submission of the Month vs. Sara McMann
- 2018 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2019 Female Fighter of the Year
- CombatPress.com
- 2018 Upset of the Year vs. Cris Cyborg
- 2018 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2019 Female Fighter of the Year
- MMA Weekly
- 2018 Knockout of the Year vs. Cris Cyborg
- Equality California
- 2016 Equality Visibility Award
- MMADNA.nl
- 2016 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2018 Female Fighter of the Year
- World MMA Awards
- 2016 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2018 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2018 Knockout of the Year vs. Cris Cyborg
- 2018 Upset of the Year vs. Cris Cyborg
- 2019 – July 2020 Female Fighter of the Year
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 2018 Womans MMA MVP
- 2019 Womans MMA MVP
- 2020 Womans MMA MVP
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | hide | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 matches | 21 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 2 |
| By submission | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 21–4 | Megan Anderson | Submission (triangle armbar) | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 | 1 | 2:03 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–4 | Felicia Spencer | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 250 | June 6, 2020 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–4 | Germaine de Randamie | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 245 | December 14, 2019 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 18–4 | Holly Holm | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC 239 | July 6, 2019 | 1 | 4:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 17–4 | Cris Cyborg | KO (punch) | UFC 232 | December 29, 2018 | 1 | 0:51 | Inglewood, California, United States | Won the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 16–4 | Raquel Pennington | TKO (punches) | UFC 224 | May 12, 2018 | 5 | 2:36 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Defended the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–4 | Valentina Shevchenko | Decision (split) | UFC 215 | September 9, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Defended the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–4 | Ronda Rousey | TKO (punches) | UFC 207 | December 30, 2016 | 1 | 0:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13–4 | Miesha Tate | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 200 | July 9, 2016 | 1 | 3:16 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–4 | Valentina Shevchenko | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 196 | March 5, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 | Sara McMann | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux | August 8, 2015 | 1 | 2:53 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 10–4 | Shayna Baszler | TKO (leg kick) | UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare | March 21, 2015 | 1 | 1:56 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 9–4 | Cat Zingano | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC 178 | September 27, 2014 | 3 | 1:21 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–3 | Germaine de Randamie | TKO (elbows) | UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 | November 6, 2013 | 1 | 3:56 | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 8–3 | Sheila Gaff | TKO (punches and elbows) | UFC 163 | August 3, 2013 | 1 | 2:08 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 7–3 | Sarah D’Alelio | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt | January 5, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | Nunes was deducted a point for an illegal upkick. |
| Win | 7–2 | Raquel Pa’aluhi | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann | July 28, 2012 | 1 | 2:24 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Alexis Davis | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov | September 10, 2011 | 2 | 4:53 | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 6–1 | Julia Budd | KO (punches) | Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine | January 7, 2011 | 1 | 0:14 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Ediane Gomes | TKO (punches) | Bitetti Combat 6 | February 25, 2010 | 2 | 3:00 | Brasília, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–1 | Vanessa Porto | TKO (corner stoppage) | Samurai FC 2: Warrior’s Return | December 12, 2009 | 2 | 5:00 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–1 | Deise Lee Rocha | TKO (punches) | Samurai Fight Combat | September 12, 2009 | 1 | 1:08 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–1 | Nadja Nadja | TKO (punches) | Prime: MMA Championship 3 | July 1, 2008 | 1 | 0:10 | Salvador, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–1 | Paty Barbosa | TKO (corner stoppage) | Demo Fight 3 | May 24, 2008 | 1 | 0:11 | Salvador, Brazil | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Ana Maria | Submission (armbar) | Prime: MMA Championship 2 | March 8, 2008 | 1 | 0:35 | Salvador, Brazil | Featherweight debut. |
Pay-per-view bouts
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 200 | Tate vs. Nunes | July 9, 2016 | T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 1,009,000 |
| 2. | UFC 207 | Nunes vs. Rousey | December 30, 2016 | T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 1,100,000 |
| 3. | UFC 215 | Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 | September 9, 2017 | Rogers Place | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | 100,000 |
| 4. | UFC 224 | Nunes vs. Pennington | May 12, 2018 | Jeunesse Arena | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 85,000 |
| 5. | UFC 250 | Nunes vs. Spencer | June 6, 2020 | UFC Apex | Enterprise, Nevada, United States | N/A |
| Total sales | 2,294,000 | |||||