Amanda Nunes is not the first woman to get called the Greatest Female Fighter of All-Time.
That would be Ronda Rousey.
But while it didnโt long for Nunes to usurp Rouseyโs place on the throne of all-time female fighting greats, itโs going to take a whole lot longer for someone else to surpass Nunes.
Her place is secure, and beating Germaine de Randamie on Saturday night is only going to make it more so.
There isnโt even a debate anymore, really. If thereโs ever been a rival for the GOAT throne in either the 135-pound or 145-pound weight classes, Nunes has beaten them. Sheโs even taken out the womenโs flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, twice.
As a sport, mixed martial arts is particularly prone to hyperbole. Every fight is a blockbuster and every fighter is a โbest in the world.โ
But in this particular case, calling Nunes the greatest female fighter to ever step in the octagon isnโt an exaggeration. Itโs just sort of the most accurate way to describe one of the most uniquely dominant athletes in the modern sports landscape.
โIt is cool,โ Nunes said of the fact that so many people are calling her the GOAT. โI put work in on it. Me, my coaches, my wife, we all had the same dream to be here today. Now we are and we deserve everything. Me, my teammates, my gym, I didnโt do this by myself. I needed people and they were all there for me. American Top Team, my coach, my wife, my friends โฆ they were all there for me.โ
Nunes isnโt the type of person who is going to run around demanding that the world call her the greatest. Sheโs smart enough to know that she probably doesnโt have to do that. Her resume speaks for itself.
Letโs just look at her last three and a half years in the octagon.
In July 2016, she headlined the massive UFC 200 show and smashed up Miesha Tate to win the womenโs bantamweight title in only 3:16.
That December, she was largely ignored in the promotional lead-up to her fight with Rousey, but took out the former champion in a devastating 48 seconds.
Sheโd beat Shevchenko for a second time in September 2017 in a split decision, and then smash-up Raquel Pennington for a fifth-round TKO in May of 2018.
In December of last year, Nunes would put an exclamation mark on her career by going up in weight to take on Crisย โCyborgโ Justino, who she would proceed to knock out in 51 seconds.
Finally, she used Holly Holmโs signature move to defeat her this July when she knocked Holm out with a head kick at UFC 239.
That means that in less than three years, Nunes has finished every single other woman to hold the UFCโs bantamweight belt โ and none of them made it out of the first round.
She also claimed the featherweight belt, and if she beats former champion de Randamie this weekend, sheโll have beaten both of the women who have ever held the 145-pound title, too.
The fact that sheโs managed to accomplish that is partially because the UFCโs womenโs divisions are so young, but itโs still a remarkable accomplishment.
Even her opponents acknowledge it.
โShe is the greatest in this era, without any doubt,โ de Randamie said. โIโm excited about it, I get to fight the very best ever. The one who knocked out Cyborg, the one who knocked out Holly Holm.โ
Nunes wonโt be headlining Saturdayโs card. Thatโll be Kamaru Usmanโs welterweight title defence against Colby Covington.
She wonโt be in the co-main event, either. That will be Max Holloway defending his featherweight title against Alexander Volkanovski.
Thatโs only because of the way the UFC schedules events that feature multiple title fights, though. The heavier the weight class of a championship matchup, the later it goes on the card.
Make no mistake, this is just as much Nunesโ show as anyone else.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Welterweight championship
Champion: Kamaru Usman
Age: 32
Fights out of: Boca Raton, Florida
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 170 lbs.
Record: 15-1
Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Tyron Woodley
Challenger: Colby Covington
Age: 31
Fights out of: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 170 lbs.
Record: 15-1
Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Robbie Lawler
Featherweight championship
Champion: Max Holloway
Age: 28
Fights out of: Waianae, Hawaii
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 145 lbs.
Record: 21-4
Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar
Challenger: Alexander Volkanovski
Age:
Fights out of: Windang, Australia
Height: 5-foot-6
Weight: 145 lbs.
Record: 20-1
Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Jose Aldo
Womenโs bantamweight championship
Champion: Amanda Nunes
Age: 31
Fights out of: Miami, Florida
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 135 lbs.
Record: 18-4
Last fight: First round TKO over Holly Holm
Challenger: Germaine de Randamie
Age: 35
Fights out of: Utrecht, Netherlands
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 135 lbs.
Record: 9-3
Last fight: First round KO over Aspen Ladd
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