Getty Image
Admit it. You’ve never really taken the time to consider how great a fighter UFC dual champ Amanda Nunes is.
To a certain extent, it’s somewhat reasonable. She’s come to prominence in the era of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. But then again, it’s absolutely outrageous, considering that she’s beaten every single woman to hold the UFC bantamweight and featherweight titles, with wins over names like Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg, and Valentina Shevchenko.
Quite simply, Amanda Nunes is one of the greatest fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon, and on December 14, at UFC 245, she’ll look to add to her impressive collection of scalps, when she takes on Germaine de Randamie on the PPV main card on ESPN+.
Take a look at the evidence …
Examining Nunes’ run in the UFC, it’s blatantly obvious how exceptional her current run has been. She’s been nearly perfect since joining the UFC in 2013, going 11-1 in the Octagon. And since 2015, Nunes has been lights out, winning nine straight, with all but two contests ending inside the distance.
With such an impressive record, it’s tough to understand why Nunes remains overlooked in the discussion of greatest fighters of all time. Her lack of inclusion in the G.O.A.T. category illustrates a likely bias by many in the MMA community, where male counterparts often receive higher levels of praise for similar accomplishments. But even within the women’s ranks, Nunes is rarely mentioned alongside retired MMA superstar Ronda Rousey, despite retiring Rousey with a blistering 49-second knockout in 2016.
Perhaps it’s her lack of mainstream popularity that has kept her accolades under the radar?
It’s really quite astounding how little praise she actually receives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRzjVXa4ng
Taking the deep dive retrospective into Nunes’ career, it’s likely her lack of immediate and early success that precluded her from many “Greatest of All Time” lists. Those accolades are generally reserved for fighters who have gone undefeated for years, winning major titles early in their careers. But for Nunes, the trajectory has been much different. It was really only seven years into her pro MMA career that she hit her stride. Ever since, she has looked indestructible.
To Nunes’ credit, it’s not just that she has compiled and nine-fight win streak while winning two consecutive UFC titles. It’s also the way in which she has been winning.
Steamrolling through legends like Rousey, Cyborg, and Tate, Nunes has demonstrated a level of power that very few bantamweights possess. In the process, she’s collected five fight night bonuses, while defending her bantamweight title four times.
One person who has been riding the Nunes bandwagon for quite some time is UFC president Dana White, who regularly heaps praise on the only woman to ever win titles in two different UFC weight classes. She is the UFC’s most tenured current champion, after all, and White has been a staunch supporter of his most decorated champ at the moment.
Then again, it’s easy to see why …
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5l1Uwfpg-Y/
Gunning for her tenth straight win, Nunes faces an intriguing test on the UFC 245 PPV main card on ESPN+. She’s fighting Germaine de Randamie, a fighter whom she’s already beaten, and finished. However, de Randamie hasn’t lost since, and brings a five-fight win streak into UFC 245.
De Randamie is also a unique challenge, not only because she is also known for her power, but also because of her size. A former UFC featherweight champion, de Randamie actually has a height and reach advantage over Nunes, meaning she can play from a distance and use her Muay Thai striking. That is, if Nunes doesn’t rush inside and nullify the range discrepancy.
And therein demonstrates another of Amanda Nunes’ many charms. She not only possesses all the physical tools to dominate her opponents, but she also constructs specific game plans to meet every challenge and beat every fighter at their own game.
She’s done it before, and, as a -290 favorite at the sportsbook, she’s likely to do it again at UFC 245. But beyond the December 14 Pay Per View on ESPN+, what else does Amanda Nunes need to do to convince the world that she is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time? The answer is absolutely nothing, because she’s already solidified her place at the top of the game.
The UFC 245 PPV main card on ESPN+ begins at 7 p.m. PST / 10 p.m. EST.
UFC 245 PPV main card (ESPN+)
Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – UFC welterweight title fight
Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC featherweight title fight
Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie – UFC bantamweight title fight
Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Moraes
Urijah Faber vs. Petr Yan
UFC 245 Preliminaries (ESPN 2) 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST
Mike Perry vs. Geoff Neal
Ketlen Vieira vs. Irene Aldana
Matt Brown vs. Ben Saunders
Ian Heinisch vs. Omari Akhmedov
UFC 245 Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass) 1:30 p.m. PST / 4:30 p.m. EST
Chase Hooper vs. David Teymur
Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France
Jessica Eye vs. Viviane Araujo
Punahele Soriano vs. Oskar Piechota
*Fight Card Subject to Change
—
The BroBible team writes about gear that we think you want. Occasionally, we write about items that are a part of one of our affiliate partnerships and we will get a percentage of the revenue from sales.