Nunes will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 15th member of the Modern Wing. The Modern Era category includes athletes who turned pro on or after November 17, 2000, when the first UFC event under the unified rules of MMA was held. Other requirements include a minimum age of 35 or those who have been retired for one year or more.
A veteran of 28 fights during her 15-year professional MMA career, Nunes compiled a record of 23-5 (17-3 UFC / Strikeforce), securing victories over UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey, UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (twice), UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Pena, former UFC featherweight champions Germaine de Randamie (twice) and Cris Cyborg, and former UFC bantamweight champions Miesha Tate, Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington.
Nunes made her professional MMA debut on March 8, 2008, losing her first fight via armbar submission in the first round. She would bounce back by winning her next six fights, including her Strikeforce debut, with a KO in 14 seconds against Julia Budd to improve her record to 6-1. In 2013, Amanda signed with UFC.
Nunes made her UFC debut on the FX prelims of UFC 163: ALDO vs. KOREAN ZOMBIE, which took place on August 3, 2013, at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Amanda defeated Sheila Gaff via first-round TKO to launch her UFC career.
She returned to the Octagon three months later in November to face Germaine de Randamie on the FS1 prelims of UFC: FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS 3, which took place on November 6, 2013, at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Amanda defeated Germaine via first-round TKO, earning a chance to meet undefeated bantamweight Cat Zingano. After winning the first round, Amanda would lose via TKO in the third, marking her first loss inside the Octagon.
Nunes would win her next 12 fights over six years (March 21, 2015 – March 6, 2021), capturing or defending her title nine times and cleaning out the bantamweight and featherweight divisions in the process. Eight of her 12 fights were won by KO or submission.
Nunes faced number one-ranked Julianna Pena in the co-main event of UFC 296: OLIVEIRA vs. POIRIER, which took place on December 11, 2021, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Julianna would stun the world with her second-round submission of Amanda via rear-naked choke, handing her the fifth, and last loss of her career.
Nunes earned an immediate rematch against Julianna, meeting seven months later in the main event of UFC 277: PENA vs. NUNES 2, which took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. She would reclaim the bantamweight title with a convincing unanimous decision victory.
Nunes retired on June 10, 2023, after defeating Irene Aldana via unanimous decision, defending the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 289: NUNES vs. ALDANA.
Nunes enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:
UFC:
- First woman to become a two-division champion and hold both UFC bantamweight and featherweight titles simultaneously.
- Longest winning streak in UFC women’s history – 12
- Most title fight wins in UFC women’s history – 11 (T-4th most in UFC history)
- Most finishes in UFC women’s history – 10
- Most first-round finishes in UFC women’s history – 9
- Most knockdowns in UFC women’s history – 8
- Most knockouts in UFC women’s history – 7
- Second-most wins in UFC women’s history – 16 (Jessica Andrade, 17)
Outside the Octagon, Nunes has been honored with several awards throughout her career, receiving Female Fighter of the Year in by MMA Junkie in 2018 and 2019, and by the Fighters Only World MMA Awards in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
A native of Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil, Nunes began competing in karate, boxing, and capoeira at the age of seven. At 16, she began training in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. With a brown belt in judo and black belt in jiu-jitsu, she captured several medals as an amateur, including gold medals at the 2008 Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championship and 2009 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. In 2012, Nunes became a World Champion of the North American Grappling Association in the lightweight and absolute divisions. She currently resides in Florida, with her wife, former UFC fighter Nina, and their two children.
To view Nunes’ UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/28685
To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOFFAQ. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.
