Amanda Nunes settled GOAT debate with ruthless 51-second knockout at UFC 232
01/05/2025 07:50 AM
Amanda Nunes will likely go down as the greatest female MMA fighter of all time and that was kickstarted by a huge win over Cris Cyborg at UFC 232.
After winning the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 200 against Miesha Tate, ‘The Lioness’ went on to show why she was one of the most talented fighters on the roster.
Amanda Nunes then went on to successfully defend her title against the pioneer of women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey, knocking her out in the first round.
Two title defenses later Nunes decided to go for greatness by moving up to featherweight to take on one of the most feared female fighters ever.
Amanda Nunes settles the GOAT debate with emphatic KO
Whilst Nunes was dominating at 135lbs, her compatriot, Cris Cyborg was doing the same at 145lbs where she was destroying every contender put in front of her.
That then set up for a historic fight at UFC 232 in 2018 as Cyborg looked to defend her featherweight title against Nunes who was looking to become the first female double champion in UFC history and the first fighter to knockout Cyborg.
With the unknown of moving up in weight and the fact that Cyborg had accumulated four KOs in five UFC outings, it was considered to be Nunes’ toughest test to date.
Despite that, it didn’t take long for Nunes to put her stamp on the fight when she hit her Brazilian opponent with a barrage of punches within the first 50 seconds which subsequently sunk her to the ground.
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‘Rowdy’ Rousey was widely considered as the greatest female fighter of all time following her dominant run in the promotion, but after the way the end of her career went, Nunes settled the debate with her vicious KO of Cyborg.
Could Amanda Nunes return to the UFC in 2025?
Not only did her win over Cyborg cement her as the greatest female fighter of all time but Nunes went on to defend both of her titles several times, retiring at the top of her game in 2023.
Despite that, since her retirement, the 36-year-old has continuously hinted at a potential return to the Octagon, indicating that she may not be 100% done with fighting.
Earlier this year at UFC 300, Kayla Harrison made her long-awaited promotional debut, and following her win over Holly Holm, Nunes hoped to be called out by the American after years of calls for them to fight.
Then at UFC 307, her former foe Julianna Pena won the vacant title. And with that, Nunes posted a video online calling for Dana White to call her which excited fans.
Harrison is now seemingly next in line to fight for the bantamweight title against Pena, and with both females having a history with Nunes, it could set up for an incredible comeback in 2025.
