Current UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes has been nominated for two awards ahead of this year’s ESPY (Excellence In Sports Performance Yearly Awards) award ceremony on the ABC network on July 10.
Nunes, the current undisputed featherweight and bantamweight champion has been nominated for both the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports and the Best MMA Fighter awards this year.
The Bahia native has turned in a dominant year at the 145lbs limit, successfully lodging her first defence of the featherweight title last June at UFC 250 — taking a unanimous decision win over former Invicta FC titleholder, Felicia Spencer in a one-sided victory.
In her first Octagon appearance of this year, Nunes took co-headlining status at UFC 259 in April as part of a three title fight card and stopped challenger, another former Invicta FC gold holder, Megan Anderson in a hugely dominant first round display — in which she submitted the Queensland native with a triangle-armbar less than two minutes into the opening frame.
The 33-year-old, who plys her trade at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, is undefeated since September of 2014, and in the time since has achieved major bantamweight title success before becoming a two-weight champion held simultaneously in the UFC, and the first women in the promotion to do so. Nunes has embarked on an incredible 12-fight, six-year unbeaten run.
Also joining Nunes as nominees for Best MMA Fighter — former lightweight champion, the undefeated, Khabib Nurmagomedov who confirmed his retirement from professional mixed martial arts earlier this year. Two-time UFC strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas is also one of the nominees, having reclaimed her 115lbs throne with a blistering first round high-kick knockout of Zhang Weili at UFC 261 in April. Headlining UFC 260 at the end of March, Francis Ngannou stopped heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic with a second round knockout, and he comes in as the final nomination.
As for the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports — Nunes is joined by tennis player, Naomi Osaka, gymnast, Simone Biles, and women’s NBA player, Seattle Storm power forward, Breanna Stewart.
Nunes is booked for her next Octagon walk on August 7. at UFC 265 — as she returns to the bantamweight division in an attempted title defence against the #6 ranked contender, Julianna Pena.
Former UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey took home the 2015 ESPY Best Fighter award, while in 2016, former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor lifted gold. In a three-year clean sweep for mixed martial arts, record-setting former UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson won gold.