If Amanda Nunes Wasn't Your Favorite Fighter Before, She Certainly Is Now
The first round only lasted 51 seconds and the rest... made history.
UFC 232 will go down as one of the greatest nights in fighting history. It was filled with pure excitement and entertainment. The fans got exactly what they were hoping for and then some. Most were looking forward to the highly anticipated rematch between Jon "Bones" Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. However, it was the women's division fight of Cris "Cyborg" Justino and Amanda Nunes that stole the show.
Brazilian mixed martial artist, Amanda Nunes arguably became the greatest female fighter of all time. Nunes convincingly defeated her opponent Justino in stunning fashion. The fight only lasted 51 seconds in the first round. Nunes came out highly aggressive and Cyborg clearly underestimated her opponent. Being a fan of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) myself, I was blown away by the result.
I don't think many were expecting to see something quite like this. Both women held bragging rights in their own divisions. Justino held the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship while Nunes held the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship. The collision between the two warriors meant that one belt would be guaranteed to exchange hands, a rare occasion in the UFC.
Heading into the fight, Cris Cyborg (20-2-0, 1 NC) had won her previous 21 straight fights in the UFC, an unprecedented streak for anyone to accomplish. Cyborg is known to be one of the most feared fighters in the world. Nunes, on the other hand, had a respectable record of 16-4-0 (now 17-4-0). It felt like the path could not have been clearer enough
Following the result, Nunes becomes the first woman in the UFC to ever hold two championship belts from separate weight classes. Even though she faced a worthy opponent in Cris Cyborg, that didn't stop Amanda Nunes from ever counting herself out on Saturday night.
Nunes made a very valid point. Despite her record not being as prestigious compared to other fighters, Nunes had fought and defeated notable opponents. She is the only woman in the UFC to defeat Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko (twice) and Germane de Randaime. All of whom were previous championship belt holders and soon to be Hall of Fame fighters. Does this add Nunes into the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) conversation? I absolutely think she deserves to be considered the greatest female fighter ever.
When you take into account all those victories, holding two championships at the same time and being the 3rd ever undisputed UFC champion in sport's, history there is a case to be made. At age 30, Nunes could still have a lengthy career in front of her and plenty of time to defend her title in the octagon.
Only time will tell what comes next for the Brazilian female warrior.
