Amanda Nunes just became the greatest female fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA) history with a 51-second knockout of the seemingly unbeatable featherweight champion Cris Cyborg last month at UFC 232.
As a result of her massive victory over Cyborg, who was widely considered the best women’s fighter of all time, Nunes, who also holds the UFC women’s bantamweight title, now enters 2019 as a double champ. That status can only be shared with the likes of Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier.
Nunes’ recent dominance over the 135-pound division, which includes finishes over former champions Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, accompanied with her destruction of Cyborg at UFC 232, make it almost impossible not to consider her the best female fighter ever. Just ask the double champ herself.
“I’m 100 percent sure,” Nunes told TMZ Sports (shown above). “I think everybody says that. Everybody. It’s not even a question anymore. This is my answer: yes, yes, yes, I am.”
With that box checked off, it may be time to consider Nunes one of the best fighters of all time, both male or female. The list is obviously deep with legendary champions like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko, and the aforementioned Cormier, but “Lioness” is quickly creeping into the discussion.
Nunes, who defeated Cyborg, Rousey, and Tate in a combined 295 seconds, believes she’s already there.
“Yeah, definitely,” proclaimed Nunes when asked if she’s the best fighter ever, male or female. “I just beat the most dominant woman on the planet. I just beat the girl, all these female fighters are scared, I just beat that girl everybody thought nobody was ever going to beat again. Ever. She only loses one time in her life and one time after that she never loses for 13 years. I think it was 13 years. I take that fight and it’s only 51 seconds. That is amazing. I’m supposed to be considered everything. The best fighter, the best whatever. I’m supposed to be the No. 1.”
Is she right? Has Nunes done enough to be mentioned alongside the greatest male fighters in MMA history?
Sound off, Maniacs!