Could UFC 289 Be The End For Legend Amanda Nunes?

Reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes steps back inside the Octagon this Saturday night, defending her title at UFC 289 against Irene Aldana. But could this be her final fight?

Amanda Nunes Could Be Fighting For Last Time At UFC 289

Once a fighter reaches the level of greatness that Amanda Nunes has, one starts to question how much longer that drive to compete is there.

For Nunes, we could all be finding that out sooner rather than later.

The reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion defends her title this Saturday night at UFC 289 against Irene Aldana. She was scheduled to meet Julianna Pena for a third consecutive time, but an injury forced Pena out.

It has been just a few months short of two years since we saw Nunes suffer a shocking second round submission loss to Pena. That night at UFC 269, the era of the Brazilian took a bit of a hit.

However, she quickly recovered, coming back stronger than ever and reclaiming the title at UFC 277 last year.

Resume Of Amanda Nunes Unmatched

When you gloss over the resume that the 35-year-old has put together, you cannot help but feel impressed. Starting all the way back in 2015 with a first round TKO of Shayna Baszler, Nunes has looked incredible.

She submitted Sara McMann later that year before besting Valentina Shevchenko via decision. That win put her in the role of No. 1 contender, and she cashed in, submitting Miesha Tate in 2016 to claim the title.

Ronda Rousey, Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie, Felicia Spencer and Megan Anderson all stepped up to challenge Nunes, and all failed.

Her win over Cyborg also won Nunes the featherweight title, as she became the first woman to win UFC titles in two weight classes and to hold them at the same time. She would also become the first fighter to defend titles in two UFC divisions while holding both belts.

She stopped Rousey in 48 seconds, knocked out Cyborg in 51 and finished Holm inside of the first round. When most are putting together a list of the greatest female combat sports athletes of all-time, those three are on it.

And Nunes bested them all.

Why Could This Be The End For Amanda Nunes?

Three years ago, Nunes and her wife, former UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff, had their first child. The two have made it known they enjoy life outside of fighting even though that is what brought them together.

Cutting weight, being a mother and a wife is obviously a huge burden on the shoulders of Nunes. And really, what more is there left for her to prove?

With over 20 years of experience in journalism, Dana brings an understanding of what it takes to present the... More about Dana Becker

Mentioned In This Article:

More About: