Amanda Nunes: 5 Defining Moments

Validation for Amanda Nunes starts anew at UFC 224.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Brazil on May 12, as the women’s bantamweight titleholder trades fists with Raquel Pennington at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Nunes wants to cement her place atop the 135-pound division after she retained her championship with a five-round split decision over Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215 in September.

Champion and challenger excel in all phases of MMA, but Pennington has not fought since she defeated Miesha Tate by unanimous decision in November 2016. Nunes, meanwhile, will carry a six-fight winning streak into the cage. Here are five defining moments that have shaped the Brazilian on her path to UFC 224:

Erasing Doubt

Concerns about Nunes’ gas tank were laid to rest in her successful title defense against Shevchenko. While the decision was not as decisive as she might have hoped, the “Lioness” proved she could go five full rounds and emerge victorious if the situation called for it. After 20-plus minutes of technical striking between the two women, Nunes even managed to secure a takedown in the waning moments of Round 5.

Fast Starter

Nunes has delivered 11 of her 15 career victories via first-round finish, four of them inside of a minute. Her list of victims includes 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann, former UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie and current Bellator MMA women’s featherweight titleholder Julia Budd. In fact, Nunes needed just 14 seconds to dispatch Budd with punches under the Strikeforce banner in January 2011.

Building Confidence

Nunes captured the women’s bantamweight title and then retained it for the first time in a little more than four minutes combined. She submitted the aforementioned Tate with a rear-naked choke 3:16 into the first round of their UFC 200 encounter to win the championship and then stopped Ronda Rousey with punches in 48 seconds to retain it at UFC 207. With that, the “Lioness” era had dawned.

Options Aplenty

While there has been talk of a superfight between Nunes and reigning UFC women’s featherweight champion Cristiane Justino, “Cyborg” has come across as lukewarm to the idea. Even so, Nunes has her hands full at 135 pounds. Fellow Brazilian Ketlen Vieira has begun to creep up the rankings, and the champion believes the undefeated Nova Uniao contender is next in line for a title shot after Pennington. Vieira moved to 10-0 at UFC 222 with a split decision over Cat Zingano, the last woman to defeat Nunes.

Diversifying Her Portfolio

Nunes wants to make an impact in other areas of mixed martial arts. She recently signed on with Invicta Fighting Championships for a position that will see her take on scouting and matchmaking chores. Nunes enjoyed a two-fight run with the all-female promotion in 2012-13, going 1-1 with a submission win over Raquel Pa’aluhi and a decision defeat to Sarah D’Alelio.