Amanda Nunes confident she can reach Conor McGregor level stardom

To close out 2016, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes picked up arguably the biggest win of her career as she destroyed former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in just 48 seconds in the main event of their highly anticipated UFC 207 scrap. While Ronda Rousey was the focus of the promotional videos leading up to the fight, it took just 48 seconds for Amanda Nunes to steal the spotlight as she cemented her place in the minds of fight fans with her impressive win.

Following the fight, Nunes expressed her desire to fight the winner of UFC 208’s inaugural women’s featherweight title fight between Holly Holm & Germaine De Randamie, which takes place in early February. It didn’t take long for fight fans to then begin drawing parallels between Nunes and UFC superstar Conor McGregor, who became the first ever simultaneous two-division UFC champion in 2016 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 to become the UFC lightweight champion. Of course however, since then, McGregor has relinquished the featherweight strap.

“Conor McGregor did it,” said Nunes, “Why can’t I”

“I feel like I want more challenges for my career,” she continued. “I know I can be a champion at 145 [pounds] too. That’s why I pushed [the idea] on my Twitter and everywhere, and I hope [UFC President] Dana White can give me the opportunity. I will show him the real champion.”

“I defended [the belt] already, [against Ronda Rousey], the most dominant athlete on the planet,” she said. “Forty-eight seconds? I think deserve it if I ask for it for the next fight.

“I think the fans want to see it – a female fighter go to another weight class and take the two belts.”

Now, in an interview with TMZ Nunes spoke to discuss why she believes she can become the Conor McGregor of WMMA:

“Yeah for sure [I can be more dominant than McGregor is in the men’s division]. I’m a well rounded fighter. Wherever the fight goes, I’m comfortable. Standup, ground game, and I will be [as big as McGregor] if the UFC gives me the opportunity. Let me grow, please!”

on 1/17/2017.