Riding off into the sunset as a reigning champ is an opportunity rarely given to fighters in the UFC — but Amanda Nunes did just that at UFC 289 on Saturday, closing the book on the “Lioness” era.
Nunes retired a dominant performance against Irene Aldana, with the story of the fight etched all over the challenger’s face.
When it comes to combat sports, the word “era” is often overrated, and even if it isn’t poorly defined. It’s an ambiguous term that seems to come around every time a famous fighter retires.
Oddly enough, it was rarely used to describe Nunes’ reign. For whatever reason, perhaps her lack of marketing aside from being the goat woman and dual champion, perhaps a portion of the fanbase still looks up to female fighters, but the “Nons era” is something that hasn’t exactly been talked about yet. this point.
Maybe it should be. It’s laughable now, but it’s only been ten years since Dana White denied his claim that women will “never” fight in the UFC. Ronda Rousey opened the door for female fighters, quickly establishing herself as one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts.
Rossi’s star burned bright but quickly died out, at least in terms of his UFC run. Just over two years after defeating Liz Carmouche in the first women’s fight in promotion history in 2013, she lost her super bantamweight title to Holly Holm. The Rousey era stretches back a bit if you count Strikeforce, but regardless, by 2015, it was over.
Holm hot potato got the title shot to Miesha Tate, who also dropped the belt in her first attempt to defend it – to Amanda Nunes. “The Lioness” stepped into place as Queen of the Jungle at UFC 200 in 2016, headlining a historic card by default after Jon Jones failed his drug test and Conor McGregor bailed out his media duties forcing the promotion to pull him from the event.
From the start, it didn’t seem like Nunes was getting the credit she deserved. After clubbing and submitting fan favorite Tate to win the UFC bantamweight championship, Nunes was booked into a fight with Rousey – a fight whose sole focus was on “Rowdy”. Video presentations before UFC 207 It centers around the former hero’s imminent return. Nunes was conspicuously absent. Internally, the (at the time) new UFC ownership, Endeavor, went so far as to refer to Nunes as “cannon fodder”.
However, Nunes had other designs. Having competed in both Strikeforce and Invicta FC before joining the UFC in 2013, Nunes handed out a one-sided defeat of Rousey that proved who the real “cannon fodder” is.
Do you want to talk about the ages? From March 21, 2015 to June 10, 2023, over a period of more than eight years, Nunes defeated 14 of the 15 opponents before her, nearly all of whom were former champions, top contenders, or veterans. Her title only lasted for seven years. She defeated six former and future UFC champions, including an all-woman, to hold the Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Nunes avenged the only loss she suffered in that period, against Juliana Pena, last year.
Amanda Nunes leaves the Octagon for the last time. #UFC289
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– Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) June 12, 2023
In 2018, she added Featherweight Gold to her collection, eliminating the fearsome Cyborg Chris to do so. A rematch would never materialize, and the division wasn’t really created by the UFC, who despite having the resources to sign the best 145’ers in the planet instead allowed them to walk down to Bellator MMA, and later the PFL as well.
But Nunes still holds and occasionally defends that 145-pound title in one-off fights. As long as it did, hope remained that the UFC might one day finally get around to cementing the featherweight ranks. If there’s any downside to Nunes retiring while at the top, it’s likely that the UFC’s women’s featherweight division will be discontinued. UFC President Dana White hinted at this after Saturday’s card in Vancouver.
Imagine you’re Norma Dumont, who has a fight with Chelsea Chandler at 145 pounds booked for July and is on two winning streaks — and now she’s competing knowing win or lose, she could be out of a job regardless.
I asked Nunes after UFC 289 was she disappointed that the UFC failed to do more to build up the division. Always in the company, Nunes said, “Honestly no. UFC, they know what they’re doing.” Nunes added that had she not retired, she would have fought anyone for the promotion ahead of her at the age of 145.
Regardless of the lack of effort on the part of the UFC on the featherweight front, at Nunes, they had a solid goat on their hands. When it comes to the greatest women of all time, there’s Nunes, Cris Cyborg, and everyone else. And Nunes, having defeated a cyborg and obtained two belts, albeit one in a half-baked division apparently used on a whim, has a distinct advantage in the debate.
Despite it all, Nunes wasn’t respected throughout fight week long before UFC 289, with fans referring to Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush as the “real” main event. A very good fight, sure, but no one has “Do Bronx” in the greatest debate of all time yet.
When it comes to Nunes, there is no debate. Much like pineapple on pizza (it belongs there). There is little question that Saturday marked the end of an era, with the women’s bantamweight championship now available and the featherweight division likely gone for good.
The publication The Lioness Hunts No More: End of the Age, and Noite Division, In the UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.