Warrior Profile: The Lioness Amanda Nunes’ rise to the top of the MMA game

BY MARCEL MARIAK

When most people think of mixed martial arts, the visual that most commonly comes to mind is the stereotype of two big, burly, violent men slugging it out in the middle of the ring. Unfortunately, this cliché is based in truth: historically, the vast majority of MMA fighters and combat sports athletes in general, were male, and even in 2020 the gender demographic of fighters continue to lean towards men. In more recent times, female MMA fighters have started to emerge on the big stage of professional fighting, with notable names such as Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and Cris Cyborg climbing to the forefront of the MMA world. Despite the rise of several outstanding women in the fight game, one female warrior has taken centre stage as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

In this issue’s Warrior Profile, we explore the life and career of one of the most phenomenal fighters currently competing in the UFC: Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes.

Early life and career
Nunes, like a great many famous combat sports athletes, was born in Brazil in 1988. She began training karate at only four years of age, and continued to train and compete in various martial arts throughout her adolescence, including boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In early 2008, at the age of 20 years old, Nunes made her professional MMA debut with the Prime MMA Championship. Unfortunately, Nunes’ first fight ended in disaster for the Brazilian, with her being submitted with an arm bar only thirty seconds into the first round. After such a profound loss, many fighters would’ve hung their head, taken off their gloves, and concluded that a life in the ring isn’t for them; but not Amanda Nunes. In hindsight, it would seem that the harsh defeat sparked something in Nunes: a “fighting spirit”, so to speak, which would carry her to victory against several worthy opponents in the future.

Nunes stepped into the professional fighting spotlight only sixteen days after her defeat, and proceeded to defeat her opponent in only 11 seconds. After that, Nunes would continue to smash her way through her foes, losing only three more fights out of a total of 24 matches. Currently, Amanda Nunes’ professional record is 20-4, and despite being a brown belt in Judo, and a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, the majority of her victories have come by way of knockout.

Professional accolades and achievements
When it comes to achievements, Amanda Nunes is one of, if not the most accomplished female fighters of all time. She boasts many accolades and records which include becoming the first female “champ-champ” by holding both the Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight UFC titles consecutively, being the woman with the most UFC wins (12), being the woman with the most UFC title fights (7), and the woman with the longest UFC winning streak (11).

On top of her already impressive list of official accomplishments, she has won multiple awards and accolades from various MMA media sources. She was named the 2016, 2018, and 2019 female fighter of the year, as well as won both the Knockout and Upset of the Year prize for her stunning defeat of Cris Cyborg.

Fighting style
When it comes to providing MMA fans with spectacular fights, Nunes never fails to deliver. Her exciting, high-pressure fighting style, paired with her outstanding physical stature, makes her an instant fan favourite. Due to her intense training regimen and above average height, Amanda Nunes often finds herself in the ring with challengers that are considerably weaker and smaller than her. As a result, her favourite fight strategy is to take the fight to her opponent, and win by any means at her disposal. Her training in multiple both striking and grappling disciplines makes her a lethal force in both the stand-up and ground-fighting game with some of her most spectacular finishes coming from an assortment of knockouts and submissions.

Amanda Nunes is not only an outstanding female athlete she’s also a trailblazer and an inspiration for women all around the world who are considering a career in combat sports. With her excellent fighting style and seemingly endless list of accomplishments makes her an instant fan favourite. That, paired with the fact that she’s only 32 years old, means that as long as she can remain injury free inside the cage, she has at least a couple more years to continue delivering stunning performances and gaining even more accolades!