Amanda Nunes is the latest addition to this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class.
The multiple world champion was announced during the UFC 314 broadcast for inclusion in this year’s class, with Nunes surprised by the news.
Nunes is an automatic inclusion for any type of MMA Hall of Fame with her resume that places her among the best female fighters ever.
She was a two-time champion at bantamweight while also moving up to become the UFC featherweight champion during her fifteen-year pro career.
Nunes fought for Strikeforce and Invicta FC before moving to the UFC in 2013 and struggled with cardio issues late in fights, including during her loss to Cat Zingano at UFC 178 in 2014.
After losing to Zingano, she didn’t lose another fight for the next seven years and became the top female fighter in the world. Her first UFC championship victory was at UFC 200, where she defeated Miesha Tate in the main event of the show (after the bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier was scrapped due to a drug test failure for Jones).
In December 2016, Ronda Rousey returned for the final fight of her career and was decimated by Nunes’ striking and finished the Olympic bronze medalist in 48 seconds.
She became the UFC featherweight champion in December 2018 when she knocked out Cris Cyborg and would retire as champion in a weight class the UFC no longer promotes.
In December 2021, Julianna Pena ended her twelve-fight winning streak with a stunning upset to win the bantamweight title at UFC 269. The two had a rematch in July 2022, with Nunes avenging the loss with a unanimous decision win.
Nunes’ final fight was in June 2023, where she defeated Irene Aldana at UFC 289 and retired as champion with a record of 23-5.
Despite the announcement for the Hall of Fame, Nunes was openly discussing a return to the Octagon this past week and a potential fight against the winner of current bantamweight champion Pena and Kayla Harrison, who will fight on June 7 at UFC 316.
This year’s Hall of Fame class includes Amanda Nunes, Robbie Lawler, the Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum fight from UFC 236, and producer Craig Piligian.
The ceremony is scheduled for June 26 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
