Amanda Nunes News

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2018

UFC women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes and top flyweight contender Valentina Shevchenko have previously engaged in two competitive scraps, with Nunes’ emerging the victor by a narrow margin on both occasions. While the grounds for a third fight would certainly seem to be there as a result, this is not something Nunes is interested in. “I don’t care about [Shevchenko],” Nunes told MMAJunkie this week. “She’s, like, only Valentina. She’s going to talk about me. I’m the best, you know? That’s why she talks about me.”

Drake Riggs - March 20, 2018

Tecia Torres: “Well here in Brazil…we’re friends so we’re gonna be friends but when it comes down to the fight in May, business is business. Amanda [Nunes] is the champion for a reason. She deserves to be there but in this sport we all want that same spot so we have to fight for it and Raquel [Pennington] is going in there to fight for it. At the end of the day, business is business. Outside that, we’re friends and there’s no reason to be rivals.”

Justin Golightly - March 15, 2018

The superfight has been put on hold, Cris Cyborg eradicated her last foe, and Amanda Nunes has a title defense at UFC 224. Both women are down to meet up after their business is finished, but now Cyborg thinks Nunes isn’t actually going to end up showing her face in the Octagon and has just been asking for the fight to promote herself. If Nunes doesn’t fight Cyborg at UFC 226, then she says that the UFC bantamweight champ will have to get to the back of the line of featherweight. We’d tell you who that would be behind, but the division still doesn’t exist on the UFC website. “I’m starting to think that Amanda Nunes just started using my name to negotiate a new deal with the UFC. Like many other girls, she’s using my name to create her brand. If Amanda is not ready to fight at UFC 226 in Las Vegas, I have to tell my team that I want to fight whoever is ready. I explained to my manager that if Amanda wins in Rio and refuses to fight in July, I will not invest my time trying to carry out this fight.”

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2018

Over the years, we’ve heard several Brazilian fighters express disinterest in fighting their fellow Brazilians. This is not to suggest Brazilian vs. Brazilian matchups don’t happen – they certainly do – but there seem to be a few fighters from the country who frown on fighting their countrymen. UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes doesn’t seem to be one of these fighters. Though Nunes is currently signed to take on Raquel Pennington at UFC 224 this May, there has recently been much discussion surrounding a potential fight between her and women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg – a fellow Brazilian.

Justin Golightly - February 10, 2018

With all the switch-ups and fight announcements, it’s hard to keep up. The UFC is scrambling to add to cards and take from others in order to fill in for all of the changes resulting from the chaos. Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg seemed all but official as a superfight, that was until the UFC needed a main event title fight for UFC 222 after Max Holloway had to pull out. Due to the booking of Cyborg and Yana Kunitskaya, Combate is now reporting that Amanda Nunes will fight Raquel Pennington in defense of her UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 224 in Brazil. Jesus, I just want announced my fight. 😫

Drake Riggs - February 7, 2018

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the possible bantamweight title fight matchup between Raquel Pennington and the champion, Amanda Nunes. In fact, the fight was apparently on it’s way to getting finalized for UFC 219 at the end of 2017 but before the bout agreements could be signed, Pennington got into a nasty car crash that obviously put her first career title shot on hold. Pennington has since stated that a May return would be most likely for her. Damon Martin reports that the discussions have fired back up to get this 135-pound title fight back in place.

Justin Golightly - January 31, 2018

Somewhere someone is looking at numbers skyrocket. The engagements and impressions are out of control. Suddenly, a dull UFC week is sparked with an army of 14,000 fire emoji. This is what happens when the UFC announces a fight the magnitude of Daniel Cormier moving up to face Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. A tweet like that holds its own gravitational pull. It drags in thousands who release their own satellites out to orbit around the news. People message friends, they send out hyperlinks and quote RTs. The drop of the information is like an event in and of itself. However, not every match-up is like this. Most entire cards aren’t like this. Nowadays, it takes an adrenaline shot to remind fans that MMA is still exciting as hell. Is this the way the UFC stays alive?  Before the ginormous sale, the UFC ramped up their fight cards like the climax of a Michael Bay movie. This all culminated in their pay-per-view draw poster boy fighting Eddie Alvarez in unprecedented champion versus champion main event at UFC 205. Since then however, things have dwindled. Conor McGregor is gone along with other marquee names like Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones.

Justin Golightly - January 30, 2018

Aside from Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic’s ultra mega fight being booked, there is at least a couple more superfights lingering around that haven’t been finalized. One of them is UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg defending against UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Dana White said he’d put it together, Nunes campaigned for it, Cyborg has said she’s agreed to it but nothing has happened yet. This has led to Nunes to publicly wonder what the hold up is with the match-up. “I wanted that fight [with Cyborg]. She didn’t even think about that when I decided to do it. I texted Dana White, and I said I wanted that fight. I’m ready to go up. I wanted something big for my career and I decided the next step would be Cyborg. But the negotiations have been so slow. I don’t know what is wrong, but I didn’t even see my contract yet. Nothing is official. [I didn’t want a] catchweight at all. I’m going up to 145. I don’t want to make this so long – already it’s long. […] I’ve fought there before. My first fight in Strikeforce at 145 was against Julia Budd. Things worked very well for me. I’m a little bit over losing weight as well. I have to get on the diet and go down. I want to take a little break from that and go up. I think this is the best choice for me right now and they don’t have nobody in my division.”

Drake Riggs - January 22, 2018

It appears that the UFC Featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg has changed her mind! Originally, she was stating that for her next fight she would like to defend against a fighter that has been competing and winning at Featherweight lately. She has now said that she is ready for the UFC Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes next rather than waiting until after the title defense against a Featherweight that she was asking for. I have agreed with my management to fight @Amanda_Leoa #ufc226 July 7th in Las Vegas during international fight week. I will let her finalize her side of the bout now. pic.twitter.com/w5YIYYRGV5

Tom Taylor - January 18, 2018

Over the last few weeks, there has been ample discussion surrounding a potential superfight between UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. UFC President Dana White has assured this is the fight he wants next for both women.

Drake Riggs - January 11, 2018

It was announced by Invicta FC on their official website today that the UFC’s Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes would be re-joining their organization! But this time, not as a fighter but as part of the Athlete Development Team. Nunes’ primary responsibilities will be to assist in making matchmaking decisions, therefore leading to intriguing fight card layouts and helping identify future champions, specifically looking at talent from Brazil and the southeastern U.S. Nunes fought twice for Invicta, once in 2012 and once in 2013. She went 1-1, defeating Raquel Pa’aluhi and losing a decision to Sarah D’Alelio. She spoke a bit about Invicta and her new position in this interview:

Tom Taylor - January 10, 2018

Ever since UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg thwarted challenger Holly Holm at UFC 219, UFC women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes has been eager to fight her. UFC President Dana White also seems to be on board with this plan. And while there are still some major hurdles to clear before this fight is made, Nunes’ head coach at American Top Team, Conan Silveira, is very confident it’ll happen. “People want to see it,” Silveira told MMAjunkie. “I think they have the best opportunity to leave their marks on history.”

Drake Riggs - January 8, 2018

UFC 219 left us with two big questions. Those being, “who’s next for Cris Cyborg?” and “who’s next for Khabib Nurmagomedov?”. These are both questions we have yet to get answers too. But…we appear to be getting closer to the answer for Cyborg more than we are for Khabib. The reigning UFC Featherweight champion, Cyborg has called for a fight with top 3 Featherweight, Megan Anderson since her win over Holly Holm at UFC 219. That fight, however, isn’t possible just yet as Anderson has yet to be cleared to compete. The second name that was brought up was current Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes who is all for the fight. She isn’t the only one though, UFC president, Dana White also voiced that that’s the fight he would like to make next and today, American Top Team head coach and coach of Nunes gave his take on the fight when he spoke with MMAJunkie: “People want to see it, I think they have the best opportunity to leave their marks on history. I believe for the weight division, Amanda is going to be extremely well-prepared,” he said. “She’s not going to have to make the weight. She’s probably going to be strong in that division. I do believe the compensation (for) the strength that comes from Cyborg definitely will be the tools that Amanda has on her side. I think it’s the perfect fight. It’s a perfect match. It’s a champions fight – it’s something we don’t see happen often.

Drake Riggs - January 5, 2018

Just a few years ago, the biggest possible fight among the women would have obviously been the former UFC Bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey vs at the time, the Invicta FC Featherweight champion and former Strikeforce Featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg. It was always an issue of Cyborg making 135 lbs…since that was initially the only division for the women before the UFC introduced the 115 lb Strawweight division. Then by the time that Cyborg had come to the UFC, Rousey had been dethroned in devastating fashion and the opportunity for a big female super fight died. That is perhaps until now. After Cyborg’s dominant decision victory over the woman that dethroned Rousey, Holly Holm at UFC 219, everyone has begun to ponder what’s next for the longtime ruler of 145. The obvious choice is fellow top three Featherweight worldwide, the Australian, Megan Anderson. Anderson was the most recent Invicta FC Featherweight champion prior to her signing to the UFC to fight Cyborg for the vacant title at UFC 214 before being forced out for undisclosed reasons. It’s not like Anderson is unqualified, but she is also the only other Featherweight on the UFC roster.

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

Cris Cyborg came, she saw, she conquered. She took on her biggest test to date and still proved she’s the most dominant women’s champion in the world of MMA today. After winning a decision over former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm, everyone is wondering what will be next. Cyborg has said she wants true featherweight fighter Megan Anderson, but the UFC seems to have other plans. Despite saying she doesn’t want to fight another Brazilian, Dana White says Amanda Nunes challenging Cyborg is the fight to make. “First of all, Amanda Nunes wants to fight her. Amanda Nunes wants to fight [Cris] Cyborg,” White said. “That is the fight to make, and that is the fight I will make. Yeah, That’s the fight. That’s the fight. Amanda Nunes is a big, strong, powerful puncher. I think she matches up very well with Cyborg too, and I think that’s a fun fight. And that’s the fight to make.”

Justin Golightly - December 28, 2017

In a couple of days, Holly Holm will step into the Octagon to try and dethrone the dominant Cris Cyborg and take her featherweight title. Having beat Ronda Rousey at the top of her career, a win over Cyborg will put her as the best women’s fighter of all time and the first ever women’s two-division champion. Add that to her boxing accolades and it’s hard to argue for anyone else. However, there is one other fighter who has given Rousey a loss: Current UFC bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes. Who is also ready to cement her place as the best female fighter on the planet by beating whoever comes out on top this Saturday. “We have the utmost respect for [Cris] Cyborg and [Holly] Holm, it’d be a great fight with either one, but we believe Amanda [Nunes] could be champion in both divisions, because she has all the tools for that. She is an extremely well rounded fighter and has been showing that she does deserve to face the winner. That’s our main focus for 2018. Of course we know she has no way to defend two belts, but that decision would be taken after her fight against the Cyborg vs. Holm winner.” — American Top Team coach Conan Silveira speaking to Portal do Vale Tudo.

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2017

On the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes admitted that, while she didn’t want to step on the toes of her fellow Brazilian Cris Cyborg, she believed her next opponent should be former champion Holly Holm. “I’m ready to go,” the bantamweight champ said on BJ Penn Radio. “I kind of don’t want to step in front of Cris Cyborg right now, because I know she wants to fight Holly Holm. But I don’t think this fight’s going to happen, and if Holly Holm comes down again, to 135 [pounds], we can do this. I want to defend my belt. I want to defend the 135 belt. Holly Holm is one of the only girls in this division [riding] a win, so I think she’s the one. I think if she’s not going to fight Cyborg, she has to come down and make this happen.”

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2017

With Raquel Pennington currently sidelined with an injury, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is now eyeing a fight with former champ Holly Holm for her next title defense. “I’m ready to go,” the bantamweight champ said on the latest stacked episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I kind of don’t want to step in front of Cris Cyborg right now, because I know she wants to fight Holly Holm. But I don’t think this fight’s going to happen, and if Holly Holm comes down again, to 135 [pounds], we can do this. I want to defend my belt. I want to defend the 135 belt. Holly Holm is one of the only girls in this division [riding] a win, so I think she’s the one. I think if she’s not going to fight Cyborg, she has to come down and make this happen.”