Can Amanda Nunes still crush everyone?

On June 10, 2023, Amanda Nunes beat Irene Aldana, grabbed the mic and announced her retirement. It looked like a clean exit. And yet, here she is, co-main event at UFC 334 against Kayla Harrison. When the greatest in MMX history pulls on fight shorts again, you sit back and keep your mouth shut.

🥊 Quick Profile

Name: Amanda Nunes
Record: 23-5-0
Claim to fame: First fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time

The High-Five Block

Her last 5 results:

• ✅ Irene Aldana — Unanimous decision UFC 289
• ✅ Julianna Peña — Unanimous decision UFC 277
• ❌ Julianna Peña — Submission (R2) UFC 269
• ✅ Megan Anderson — Submission (R1) UFC 259
• ✅ Felicia Spencer — Unanimous decision UFC 250

Record: 4 wins, 1 loss. And that loss has a name.

The Origin Story

No need to go back to childhood. The Brazilian's style says it all.

MMX stats class her as a GRAPPLER. But don't be fooled: she doesn't go to the ground for fun. She hits more than she gets hit, 4.5 strikes per minute landed vs 2.6 absorbed. She puts opponents on the mat when it suits her, 2.7 takedowns per 15 minutes. And she almost never gets taken down: 82.4% takedown defense.

The big one is her 64.7% finish rate. Two wins out of three end before the judges get involved. She doesn't win on points, she tears the house down.

The queen who ate dirt

July 9, 2016: Nunes becomes bantamweight champion. The reign begins.

December 29, 2018: she adds the featherweight belt. She becomes the first UFC fighter to hold two titles at once. Official status: the greatest in MMA history.

Then comes UFC 269. Julianna Peña is waiting for her, grabs her, submits her in round 2. The bantamweight belt changes hands. The shock is huge, and let's not pretend otherwise: that defeat is on her record, black on white.

The answer comes at UFC 277. Same opponent, unanimous decision, title won back in 2022. She didn't get revenge with a spectacular KO. She survived five rounds and took back what was hers.

Final chapter: Aldana, UFC 289, another unanimous decision. Then the retirement, announced June 10, 2023.

So here's the situation: a champion who left on a win, after taking her only recent real loss and correcting it. Now she's back for Kayla Harrison, co-main on the Gane vs. Hokit card.

Useless Trivia

• She is the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
• She is the third UFC fighter, men and women combined, to pull off that feat.
• She announced her retirement right after her win over Irene Aldana, on June 10, 2023. She left on a high note.

The MMX Eye

Trap or goldmine for your ranking in La Ligue? Both, my friend.

On the goldmine side, the numbers are there:

Strikes landed: 4.5/min ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░
Strikes absorbed: 2.6/min ▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░
Takedown defense: 82.4% ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░
Finish rate: 64.7% ▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░

Her strike differential is solid and her wrestling defense is very clean. When she doesn't finish, she wins on points, like against Aldana.

On the trap side, there are three things:

• Her striking defense tops out at 57.6%. She takes shots.
• Her accuracy is 51.8%. Decent, not surgical.
• Her only recent loss is a round 2 submission. If the fight goes to the ground, the question gets serious.

And then there's the factor no stat can measure: ring rust after a retirement. We have no MMX data on Harrison and no way to quantify Nunes's current form. So I won't sell you a lock.

My barstool take: Nunes is still dangerous on paper, but this pick is not safe. If you play it, play it with your eyes wide open.

A retirement, a belt won back from the only woman who ever beat her, and a place of her own in MMA history: Amanda Nunes isn't coming back to make up the numbers. Do you think she'll win her next fight? Come make your picks and challenge your friends on MMX.

📋 On the same card: Check out all the profiles for UFC 334: Gane vs. Hokit

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