Amanda Nunes: record, style and what is next
Who Amanda Nunes is and where she stands now
Amanda Nunes is a former two-division UFC champion who returns from retirement to challenge Kayla Harrison for the women's bantamweight title at UFC 334 on 14 November 2026. The UFC athlete page shows a record of 23 wins and 5 losses as of 30 September 2026, and her last fight was a decision win over Irene Aldana on 10 June 2023.
She was born on 30 May 1988 in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil, and her nickname is "The Lioness". The UFC lists her at 5 ft 8 in with a 69 inch reach. According to Wikipedia, she is the only woman to become a two-division UFC champion and the only fighter to defend titles in two divisions while holding both belts. She was named to the UFC Hall of Fame's modern wing in the class of 2025.
How Amanda Nunes fights
Nunes is a power striker who can finish in seconds, with grappling that backs it up. The UFC lists her style as striker. She attacks with heavy combinations and head kicks, and the list of names she has stopped is long: Ronda Rousey in 48 seconds, Cris Cyborg in 51 seconds and Holly Holm with a head kick and punches.
She also has the grappling to finish on the ground. She holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in judo, and her wins include rear-naked chokes on Miesha Tate and Sara McMann and a triangle armbar on Megan Anderson. Her title wins by decision, against Germaine de Randamie in 2019 and Julianna Pena in 2022, showed she can grind out five rounds as well.
Her losses tell you where she can be beaten. Alexis Davis stopped her in 2011 after she faded in the second round, Cat Zingano beat her in round three in 2014, and Pena submitted her at UFC 269 after Nunes dominated round one and then was outstruck in round two. The pattern is that a fast start that does not finish the fight can cost her.
The road to two belts
Nunes grew up in Pojuca outside Salvador and dreamed of playing professional football before martial arts took over. She started capoeira at five, karate at seven and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 16, and moved to the Edson Carvalho academy in Salvador at 17. She was the only woman there, and the academy's two-lion logo gave her the "Leoa" nickname. She won Pan American gold as a blue belt in 2008 and world gold as a purple belt in 2009.
Her professional debut on 8 March 2008 was a first-round armbar loss to Ana Maria. She fought in Strikeforce and Invicta before signing with the UFC, making her Octagon debut in August 2013 with a first-round TKO of Sheila Gaff. She beat Valentina Shevchenko by decision at UFC 196 in March 2016, then took the bantamweight title from Tate with a first-round choke at UFC 200 in July 2016.
The defences came quickly: Rousey at UFC 207 in December 2016, Shevchenko again by split decision at UFC 215 in September 2017, Raquel Pennington by fifth-round TKO in May 2018. At UFC 232 in December 2018 she knocked out Cyborg for the featherweight title, and became the first woman to hold belts in two divisions at once. Holm, de Randamie, Felicia Spencer and Anderson followed.
The recent run and the comeback
The last chapter started with a shock. Pena submitted Nunes with a rear-naked choke in round two at UFC 269 in December 2021 to take the bantamweight title. Nunes won it back in the rematch at UFC 277 on 30 July 2022 with a five-round unanimous decision.
A trilogy was booked for UFC 289 in June 2023, but Pena broke ribs in camp and Aldana stepped in. Nunes won a dominant unanimous decision and announced her retirement in the post-fight interview. She spent two years away, and Wikipedia records that she was announced as a UFC Hall of Fame modern wing inductee during the UFC 314 broadcast in April 2025.
Her return was confirmed at UFC 316 in June 2025. Sports Illustrated reported that after Harrison beat Pena to win the belt, Nunes, watching cageside, accepted Harrison's invitation to step into the cage and confirmed the fight. The UFC 324 date in January 2026 fell through when Harrison needed neck surgery, and the bout was reset for UFC 334.
What happens next
Nunes challenges Harrison for the women's bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on 14 November 2026, per Combat Press. She will be stepping in after more than three years away, against a judo Olympic champion who is 3-0 in the UFC and who once trained alongside her at American Top Team.
A win would make Nunes a three-time bantamweight champion. A loss would be her first since Pena in December 2021. The layoff is the question mark: she has not fought for more than three years, and Harrison has not fought since June 2025.
Sources
FAQs
Why did Amanda Nunes retire?
Nunes announced her retirement in the cage after beating Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on 10 June 2023, while still champion. She spent two years away, then announced in June 2025 that she would face the winner of Kayla Harrison vs Julianna Pena, and confirmed it in the cage at UFC 316.
Who is Amanda Nunes fighting next?
Nunes fights Kayla Harrison for the UFC women's bantamweight title at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on 14 November 2026, in the co-main event. The fight was first scheduled for UFC 324 in January 2026 but was postponed after Harrison needed neck surgery.
What is Amanda Nunes' MMA record?
As of 30 September 2026, the UFC lists Nunes at 23 wins and 5 losses. Her losses came against Ana Maria, Alexis Davis, Sarah D'Alelio, Cat Zingano and Julianna Pena. She has not fought since beating Irene Aldana in June 2023.
Was Amanda Nunes a champion in two divisions?
Yes. Nunes won the bantamweight title from Miesha Tate in July 2016 and the featherweight title from Cris Cyborg in December 2018, holding both at once. Wikipedia lists her as the only woman to be a two-division UFC champion and the only fighter to defend both belts while holding them.
What is Amanda Nunes' fighting style?
Nunes is a power striker with heavy combinations and head kicks, backed by a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and a judo brown belt. She has stopped Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm inside the first round, and she also has rear-naked choke and triangle armbar finishes.