This weekend, the greatest woman ever to pull on a pair of
four-ounce gloves will attempt to put just a little more distance
between herself and the historical pack.
In the co-main event of UFC 259 this Saturday, two-division queen Amanda Nunes is set to defend her Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against Megan Anderson. If the “Lioness” is successful in that endeavor, she will tie her immediate predecessor, Cristiane Justino, for the most title defenses (2) in the relatively brief history of the division.
While that is the expected outcome — she will enter the Octagon as
one of the biggest favorites in UFC history — Nunes’ place as the
most accomplished female fighter of all time will be secure for
now, even if Anderson were to pull off the upset. Nunes’ résumé is
ridiculous, boasting stoppage victories over every single woman who
has ever held a UFC or Bellator MMA title in either of the divisions in which
she competes: "Cris Cyborg," Germaine
de Randamie, Ronda
Rousey, Holly Holm,
Miesha
Tate and Julia Budd.
On top of that, she owns two decision wins over Valentina
Shevchenko, who subsequently moved down to flyweight and went
on to become the most dominant fighter that division has ever seen.
In an era in which more and more fighters are winning titles in
multiple weight classes but few manage to defend even one of them,
Nunes is close to completely cleaning out two divisions of credible
challengers.
Ahead of UFC 259, the 32-year-old Brazilian waved away talk of retirement, but acknowledged that the birth of her first child portended a new phase in her life. For however much longer we are privileged to watch her work, let us appreciate the utter dominance of one of the greatest fighters ever.
In the co-main event of UFC 259 this Saturday, two-division queen Amanda Nunes is set to defend her Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against Megan Anderson. If the “Lioness” is successful in that endeavor, she will tie her immediate predecessor, Cristiane Justino, for the most title defenses (2) in the relatively brief history of the division.
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Ahead of UFC 259, the 32-year-old Brazilian waved away talk of retirement, but acknowledged that the birth of her first child portended a new phase in her life. For however much longer we are privileged to watch her work, let us appreciate the utter dominance of one of the greatest fighters ever.
Ben
Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration
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