Amanda Nunes is a renowned Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist, widely regarded as one of the greatest female fighters in the history of the sport.
Born on May 30, 1988, in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil, she rose to prominence in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she became the first woman to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously.
Nunes is also notable for being the first openly lesbian UFC champion.
She began her martial arts journey at a young age, starting with capoeira at five, karate at seven, and later Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, and judo, earning a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in judo.
Beyond her athletic career, Nunes is married to fellow retired UFC fighter Nina Nunes (née Ansaroff), and the couple has two daughters, born in 2020 and 2023.
Siblings
Amanda grew up as the youngest of three children in her family, with two older sisters named Valdirene Nunes and Vanessa Nunes.
After her parents’ separation, she and her sisters lived with their mother in Brazil, where they faced financial challenges but remained close-knit.
Valdirene, the eldest sister, has been publicly supportive of Amanda’s fighting career, even attending major events like UFC 200 where Amanda challenged Miesha Tate for the title.
Career
Nunes made her professional debut on March 8, 2008, in Brazil, though she suffered a first-round submission loss.
Undeterred, she built a strong record with finishes in her subsequent fights before joining Strikeforce in 2011, where she secured a quick knockout victory in her debut.
After competing in Invicta FC with mixed results, Nunes signed with the UFC in 2013, debuting with a first-round TKO win over Sheila Gaff.
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Her ascent included notable victories over fighters like Germaine de Randamie, Sara McMann, and Valentina Shevchenko, leading to her capturing the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship by submitting Miesha Tate in July 2016.
Nunes defended the title against high-profile opponents such as Ronda Rousey, whom she knocked out in just 48 seconds, and Raquel Pennington.
In a historic moment, she became a two-division champion by knocking out Cris Cyborg in December 2018 to claim the Women’s Featherweight title.
Despite setbacks, including a loss to Julianna Peña in 2021 where she dropped the bantamweight belt, Nunes reclaimed it in a rematch in 2022 with a dominant unanimous decision.
She retired after defending against Irene Aldana in June 2023 but announced a comeback in 2025, with a scheduled title fight against Kayla Harrison in January 2026 that was postponed due to Harrison’s injury.
Accolades
Nunes is the only female fighter to win and defend UFC titles in two divisions simultaneously, holding the Women’s Bantamweight Championship (with two reigns totaling six defenses) and the Women’s Featherweight Championship (with two defenses) from 2018 to 2023.
Nunes holds numerous UFC records, including the most wins in women’s bantamweight title fights (8), the longest combined title reign (3,940 days), the most knockouts (7) and finishes (10) in UFC women’s history, and the most consecutive wins in UFC women’s history (12).
She earned Performance of the Night bonuses five times for standout victories against Sara McMann, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Holly Holm.
Beyond the octagon, Nunes was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the Modern Wing in 2025 and received honors such as Female Fighter of the Year from multiple outlets including MMA Junkie (2018, 2019), World MMA Awards (2016, 2018, 2019), and Combat Press (2018, 2019).
She was also named the 2010s Female MMA Fighter of the Decade by Yahoo Sports and recognized for her knockout against Cyborg as Knockout of the Year in 2018 by various awards.
Additionally, Nunes received the Equality Visibility Award from Equality California in 2016 for her advocacy as an openly lesbian athlete.
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