Amanda Nunes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amanda Nunes
Ceremonial weigh ins - Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña UFC 269
Born	Amanda Lourenço Nunes (1988-05-30) May 30, 1988 (age 37) Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil
Other names	(The) Lioness
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg)
Division	Bantamweight (2011–2023) Featherweight (2008–2011, 2018–2023)
Reach	175 cm (69 in)
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Coral Springs, Florida, U.S.
Team	Team Carvalho (2003–2012) AMA Fight Club (2010–2012) MMA Masters (2012–2014) American Top Team (2014–2022)
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Daniel Valverde Brown belt in Judo
Years active	2008–2023 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	28
Wins	23
By knockout	13
By submission	4
By decision	6
Losses	5
By knockout	2
By submission	2
By decision	1
Spouse	Nina Nunes
Children	2

Amanda Lourenço Nunes (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist. She is known as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time. Amanda competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

She was a champion in two different weight classes at the same time. This made her the first woman to achieve this in the UFC. She is also the only fighter in UFC history to defend both titles while holding them together. When she retired, she was ranked as the top female fighter in the UFC.

Early Life and Beginnings

Amanda Nunes was born on May 30, 1988. She grew up in Pojuca, Bahia, a small town in Brazil. She has two older sisters. When Amanda was four, her parents separated. Her mother raised the three girls by herself. To support the family, her mom worked as a school assistant and sold things like hot dogs and beauty products.

Amanda's mother was loving but also strict. She encouraged Amanda to play sports. This helped Amanda use her extra energy. Amanda first wanted to be a professional soccer player. She played for local teams when she was young.

How Amanda Started Martial Arts

Amanda's uncle was a Vale Tudo fighter. Her mother, who also trained in boxing, helped him during his fights. Amanda started capoeira classes at age five. Her teacher suggested it because she was very active in class. She began learning karate when she was seven.

Amanda shared that her mother always told her, "the first strike has to be yours. She can’t touch you before you touch her. You have to intimidate her."

At 16, Amanda started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She also got into boxing around this time. She was often the only girl at the gym. But she quickly became very good at sparring. At 17, she moved to Salvador to train more seriously. She trained under Ricardo Carvalho and also started judo. Her coach and other students called her "Leoa," which means "lioness" in Portuguese. She still uses this nickname today.

Amanda lived at the gym for a while. She would wake up early to help clean before classes. She said it was "very worthwhile" to go through that experience. She enjoyed living there, especially because it was near the sea.

Amanda competed in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. She won a gold medal at the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2008. She also won gold at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2009. In 2012, she became a world champion in the North American Grappling Association (NAGA). She now has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in judo.

Amanda's Mixed Martial Arts Journey

Amanda Nunes started her professional MMA career on March 8, 2008. Her first fight was against Ana Maria. She lost this fight by submission in the first round.

Fighting in Strikeforce

After her first fight, Amanda won five fights in a row. All of these wins were by knockout. She then joined Strikeforce in January 2011. In her Strikeforce debut, she quickly defeated Julia Budd in just 14 seconds.

Later, she fought Alexis Davis in September 2011. Amanda started strong but got tired. She lost this fight in the second round.

Competing in Invicta FC

Amanda then moved to Invicta FC. In July 2012, she won her fight against Raquel Pa'aluhi. She won by a special type of choke in the first round.

In January 2013, she fought Sarah D'Alelio at Invicta FC 4. Amanda lost this fight by decision.

Becoming a UFC Champion

Amanda Nunes made her first appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in August 2013. She won her debut fight against Sheila Gaff in the first round. She also won her second UFC fight in November 2013.

In September 2014, Amanda faced Cat Zingano. Amanda almost won in the first round. But she lost the fight in the third round. After this, Amanda won her next two fights in the UFC. She defeated Shayna Baszler and Sara McMann. She also beat Valentina Shevchenko by decision in March 2016.

Winning Two UFC Titles

After winning three fights in a row, Amanda got her first chance to fight for a UFC title. She fought Miesha Tate for the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship in July 2016. Amanda won the fight in the first round. This made her a UFC champion!

On December 30, 2016, Amanda defended her title against Ronda Rousey. Amanda won the fight very quickly, in just 48 seconds. She won by punches.

Amanda defended her Bantamweight title again against Valentina Shevchenko in September 2017. It was a very close fight, but Amanda won by a split decision. In May 2018, she defended her title once more against Raquel Pennington. She won in the fifth round.

Amanda then decided to move up to a heavier weight class. She fought Cris Cyborg for the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship in December 2018. Amanda knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds! This was a huge win. It made Amanda the first woman in UFC history to hold two championship belts at the same time. She was now a "double champion." This amazing win also earned her a "Performance of the Night" award.

Amanda went back to Bantamweight to defend that title in July 2019. She fought Holly Holm and won by knockout in the first round. She also defended her Bantamweight title against Germaine de Randamie in December 2019. She won by decision after controlling the fight. This win meant she had the most wins in women's title fights in the UFC.

In June 2020, Amanda defended her Featherweight title against Felicia Spencer. She won by decision. Then, in March 2021, she defended her Featherweight title again against Megan Anderson. She won by submission in the first round.

In December 2021, Amanda faced Julianna Peña for her Bantamweight title. Amanda lost this fight by submission in the second round. This was a big surprise to many fans.

However, Amanda got a chance to win her Bantamweight title back. She had a rematch against Julianna Peña in July 2022. Amanda won the fight by a clear decision after five rounds. She became the first person in UFC history to become a double champion *twice*.

Amanda's Retirement

Amanda was scheduled to fight Julianna Peña for a third time in June 2023. But Peña got injured. So, Irene Aldana stepped in to fight Amanda instead. Amanda won this fight by a strong decision. After the fight, Amanda announced that she was retiring from fighting. She retired as a champion in two weight classes.

Personal Life

Amanda Nunes is married to former UFC fighter Nina Nunes. They have two daughters together. Their first daughter was born in September 2020, and their second daughter was born in November 2023.

Championships and Accomplishments

Amanda Nunes is one of the most successful fighters in UFC history.

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • She was the UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion two times.
    • She successfully defended this title six times in total.
  • She was the UFC Women's Featherweight Champion one time.
    • She successfully defended this title two times.
  • Amanda is the first woman in UFC history to win two titles and hold them at the same time.
  • She is the only fighter in UFC history to defend titles in two different weight classes while holding both at the same time.
  • She is the only fighter to retire as a champion in two divisions in UFC history.
  • She has the most wins in UFC women's title fights (11 wins).
  • She has the most finishes (wins by knockout or submission) in UFC women's history (10 finishes).
  • She has the most knockouts in UFC women's history (7 knockouts).
  • She has the longest winning streak in UFC women's history (12 wins in a row).
  • She won the "Performance of the Night" award five times.
  • She holds wins over many other UFC champions, including Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Holly Holm.

• Other Awards
  • She was named "Female Fighter of the Year" by several organizations, including MMAJunkie.com and CombatPress.com.
  • She won "Knockout of the Year" for her fight against Cris Cyborg in 2018.

See Also

In Spanish: Amanda Nunes para niños

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of female mixed martial artists