Amanda Nunes announced her retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) last night (Sat., June 10, 2023) at UFC 289 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, after decimating Irene Aldana over the course of five rounds to defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title.
Nunes was in control in the early going as Aldana was hesitant to exchange with the women’s combat legend. Aldana did land a nice right hand late into the first, but that’s about it. Nunes kept her momentum going with consistent jabs and hard leg kicks in the second. The champion mixed in a crisp knee inside as well.
Nunes turned the heat up in the third with countless straight jabs and right hands down the pipe. “Lioness” changed levels and secured a slamming takedown with half the round left on the clock. Aldana was eventually able to return to her feet only to be met with hard power punches from the champion. It was much of the same in the fourth round as Nunes tagged Aldana at will. Aldana started to bleed from a cut sustained by a slicing elbow by the champion.
Nunes went back to her wrestling in the fifth and final round to exhaust Aldana. “Lioness” was relentless in search of a finish, but she had to settle with a unanimous decision win.
After the fight, Nunes told the Canadian crowd to stay in their seats as she instructed her gloves be cut off and set them down on the Octagon canvas for an official retirement. Nunes was quite emotional and kept saying “I did it” and “double champion for life.” The UFC 289 crowd started to chant her name as UFC color commentator, Daniel Cormier, moved in for her final post-fight interview.
Check out the video highlights above and below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:
From nothing, to something, to everything.
@Amanda_Leoa leaves with every accomplishment one could hope to achieve in the sport and a legacy fulfilled. #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/lc4bombOMn
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 11, 2023
Nunes, 35, is undoubtedly the greatest fighter in women’s MMA history. Outside of a shocking submission loss to Julianna Pena back in 2021 Nunes has won her last 14 trips to the Octagon. That includes victories over Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, and the aforementioned Pena. It also includes eight total UFC title defenses spread across two different weight classes.
For complete UFC 289 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.