Boxing & Martial Arts Codexery

Amanda Nunes

The Lioness of MMA

Last updated

Amanda Lourenço Nunes, who came into the world on May 30, 1988, holds both Brazilian and American citizenship and is a professional in mixed martial arts, currently fighting in the UFC's women's Bantamweight weight class.[1] Among female fighters, Nunes stands alone as a two-division UFC champion, and she is the third competitor overall, following Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier, to simultaneously possess UFC titles in two distinct weight classes.[2] Numerous analysts and media outlets regard Nunes as one of the finest female mixed martial artists in history.[2]

Key facts and history

After her parents separated when she was four, her mother raised the family alone, selling hot dogs and beauty products to support them.[3] Nunes began capoeira at age five and karate at age seven, then started Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 16 after her sister Vanessa invited her to a dojo.[4][5] She moved to Salvador at age 17 to train at the Edson Carvalho academy, where she also started judo.[5] Nunes made her professional MMA debut on March 8, 2008, losing to Ana Maria by armbar submission in the first round.[6]

Nunes became the first openly gay UFC champion when she won the bantamweight title by submitting Miesha Tate at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016.[7][8] She knocked out Cris Cyborg in 51 seconds at UFC 232 to become the UFC Women's Featherweight Champion, making her the first woman to hold UFC belts in two divisions simultaneously.[9][10] Nunes recaptured the bantamweight title by defeating Julianna Peña at UFC 277, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to become a two-division champion twice.[11] She announced her retirement after a unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on June 10, 2023.[12]

Nunes's birthplace is Pojuca, a community located near Salvador in Bahia, Brazil, and she grew up with two older sisters.[3] Prior to her first Strikeforce bout on January 7, 2011, Nunes had secured five consecutive victories, each ending by knockout; in that debut she knocked out Julia Budd in a mere 14 seconds.[13]

What the cited sources add

A 2016 Globo.com article by Evelyn Rodrigues describes Nunes as a hyperactive child who was disciplined through sports, and notes that her sister Vanessa introduced her to jiu-jitsu at age 16.[14] The "Roar of the Lioness" feature states that Nunes's uncle Jose Silva was a Vale Tudo fighter and that her mother trained boxing regularly.[15]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions UFC.com", www.ufc.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nick Baldwin, "Pena shocks Nunes with submission to win UFC bantamweight title", Taipei Times}}|10={{cite web, December 2021; "UFC: Shevchenko on facing Pena or Nunes – 'I can fight both at same time'", 10 May 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Daniela Carasco, ""O Brasil virou as costas para mim", desabafa Amanda Nunes, campeã do UFC", Globo.com, March 9, 2017; Adriano Albuquerque, "Dieta de Amanda, sofrimento das irmãs: a união da família Nunes bem antes do UFC", Globo.com, May 11, 2018; "O rugido da Leoa" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Amanda Nunes: Roar of the Lioness", 27 December 2016; Lisbôa Grespan, Carla (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Evelyn Rodrigues, "A caça da Leoa: Conheça a trajetória de Amanda Nunes ao cinturão do UFC", Globo.com, July 7, 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ana Maria Shines at Prime MMA 2", Sherdog.com, 2008-03-10 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Marrocco, "UFC 200 results: Amanda Nunes tears through Miesha Tate, wins title with first-round chokestatement", MMAjunkie.com; Rogers, "Rogers: Amanda Nunes becomes UFC's newest star as sport's first openly gay champion", USA Today, 2016; "Amanda Nunes Credits Relationship For Success", Fightful.com, 2016-12-29 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Drahota, "Amanda Nunes & Nina Ansaroff Officially Announce Engagement", LowKickMMA.com, 2018-08-18; "Amanda Nunes Credits Relationship For Success", Fightful.com, 2016-12-29; Amanda Nunes welcomes baby girl ESPN; Instagram (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes champion-vs.-champion fight set for UFC 232", MMAjunkie, 2018-08-22 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Nunes knocks out Cyborg in 51 seconds for title", ESPN, December 29, 2018; "UFC 232 Bonuses: Nunes, Volkanovski, Mendes, Hall Capture $50K Awards", Sherdog (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lee, "Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes 2 announced for UFC 277 main event", MMA Fighting, 2022-05-21; King, "UFC 277 post-event facts: Amanda Nunes makes history by reclaiming second belt", MMA Junkie, 2022-07-31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Irene Aldana replaces Julianna Peña at UFC 289, challenges Amanda Nunes for title", MMA Junkie, 2023-05-02; Nolan King, "UFC 289 results: Amanda Nunes retires after one-sided title defense vs. Irene Aldana", mmajunkie.com, 2023-06-10; "UFC 289 results, highlights: Amanda Nunes announces sudden retirement after dominant win over Irene Aldana", CBS Sports, 2023-06-11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Amanda Nunes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Woodley Outduels Saffiedine in Challengers", Sherdog.com, 2011-01-07 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Evelyn Rodrigues, "A caça da Leoa: Conheça a trajetória de Amanda Nunes ao cinturão do UFC", Globo.com, July 7, 2016. facts only, no text reused. sportv.globo.com
  15. "Amanda Nunes: Roar of the Lioness", 27 December 2016. facts only, no text reused. mmafighting.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Amanda Nunes (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Boxing & Martial Arts

Aleksandr KarelinAnderson SilvaBernard HopkinsBuvaisar SaitievCecilia BrækhusDan GableDemetrious JohnsonJoe LouisAleksandr MedvedAndy HugArchie MooreB.J. Penn

Related in Boxing & Martial Arts

Anderson SilvaDemetrious Johnson

Links follow this subject's own source article.

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →