GAME, SET AND MAC
AMANDA NUNES will take centre-stage against Felicia Spencer in UFC 250's main event on June 7.
The Brazilian champion is widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all time and here’s everything you need to know about her.
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‘The Lioness’ was born on May 30, 1988 and grew up in a small town outside of Salvador, Brazil.
Nunes' family trained in combat sports, she would start karate at just four-years-old before trying boxing at the age of 16.
Her sister trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and invited her sibling to try it out.
At the age of 19, Nunes had swapped boxing and jiu-jitsu for complete Mixed Martial Arts training.
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A natural-born competitor, the 32-year-old also had an affinity for football and has played the sport her whole life.
When she’s not busy refining her athletic skills, Nunes admitted that she loves to watch Home Alone and is a fan of the film’s star, Macaulay Culkin.
In fact, she credits the actor for inspiring her move to the US, and even visited every location featured in the movie.
Nunes began training out of American Top Team gym in Florida where she met women's strawweight athlete, Nina Ansaroff.
The pair have been in a relationship since 2012 after getting to know each other through training.
Nunes and Ansaroff confirmed their engagement in 2018 and announced they are expecting their first child later this year.
Over the course of her 13-fight UFC career, ‘The Lioness’ has lived up to her nickname by way of ferocious knock-out power and exceptional technique.
She is also ranked number one in the UFC women’s pound for pound rankings and currently holds the bantamweight and featherweight titles.
Nunes is also the first female UFC double champion and is the first to successfully defend both titles.
The Brazilian star has beaten every woman to hold championship gold in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
She previously dismantled MMA superstars, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate and Germaine de Randamie.
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Not only did she defeat all five former champions, but she was able to do it in the first round.
The only fighter who had the opportunity to correct her first-round loss was Germaine de Randamie.
Nunes' last fight was a rematch against the former champion at UFC 245 in December 2019.
Randamie managed to go the distance in the five-round battle, but the Brazilian delivered the stronger performance and claimed the unanimous decision win.
Other highlights on The Lioness’ 19-4 record include wins over Raquel Pennington, Julia Budd and flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (twice).
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Her upcoming UFC 250 opponent, Felicia Spencer, believes she has what it takes to put an end to Nunes’ championship reign.
Spencer has tallied an 8-1 professional record and her last fight was a lopsided, first-round TKO win against Zarah Fairn.
Prior to that, she suffered her first loss to Cris Cyborg and will enter the upcoming UFC 250 fight as the significant underdog.
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The pair were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 249 on May 9, but Nunes pulled out over concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Brazilian champion has also expressed interest in a crossover bout against boxing star, Claressa Shields.
UFC president Dana White called Nunes “the greatest female fighter of all time” and confirmed the blockbuster matchup is in the works.
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