Heart of a lioness: Amanda Nunes’ UFC reign has been dominant, groundbreaking

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, June 11, 2020 | 2 a.m.

The first pandemic-era UFC title fight turned out unique for more than its closed-to-the-public setting. Amanda Nunes also showed a rare level of joy, mercy and compassion throughout a record-breaking unanimous-decision victory over Felicia Spencer at UFC 250, staged June 6 at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas.

The UFC’s dual women’s featherweight/bantamweight champion couldn’t stop smiling through the early stages of a grueling 25-minute battle, at least not until she effectively rearranged Spencer’s facial structure. With blood protruding from a cut across Spencer’s scalp and a quarter-sized hematoma swelling on Spencer’s forehead, Nunes slowed her attack in the final round. Instead of continuing to batter Spencer on her feet, Nunes took her opponent down to the mat, where she could control the challenger without inflicting more punishment.

After the scores were read, inevitably revealing every judge had scored every round for Nunes, the champion did something unprecedented: She took her championship belt and slung it over Spencer’s shoulder.

“I’ve lost before. I know how she was feeling,” Nunes said. “She fought for the belt tonight—at least she can touch it or see it. I wanted to be nice to her; she’s a good girl.”

UFC President Dana White’s vow to keep going forward with fight cards through the pandemic out of a “human need” for sporting events has sounded anywhere from exaggerated to unfeeling. But after UFC 250—the fifth event since the UFC’s May restart in Jacksonville, Florida—his point might have been understandable for the first time.

White’s view is that, even more than something to watch, sports fans needs someone for whom to cheer, someone to celebrate right now. And it’s impossible not to cheer for or celebrate Nunes, given the grace with which she’s reached the top of the UFC.

With the win over Spencer, “The Lioness” became the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold and defend belts in two different divisions. “Amanda Nunes is the G.O.A.T.,” White said.

Unlike other fighters in the “greatest of all time” conversation, like Jon Jones, Georges St Pierre and Anderson Silva, virtually no one saw Nunes coming. The 32-year-old was among the initial group of women injected into the UFC around superstar Ronda Rousey in 2013, but she was an afterthought coming off two losses in her last three fights across Invicta and Strikeforce.

Nunes went on to drop her third UFC fight, a knockout defeat to Cat Zingano in September 2014, but she hasn’t lost since. The Salvador, Brazil, native has been riding an 11-fight winning streak while she’s hunkered down at one of MMA’s top gyms, American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.

Nunes has beaten every woman who’s ever held titles in both of her weight classes, including ending Rousey’s career with a 48-second knockout in December 2016.

“I’m living this fun ride and enjoying every single day,” Nunes said. “Be a good person, and life will give you back. I feel like now and always life will give back, because I don’t want to do anything bad to anybody.”

Nunes has used her platform for worthy causes. As the UFC’s first openly gay champion, she has been an LGBT advocate and spearheaded the promotion’s charitable initiatives in that area.

She’ll have a chance to notch another first the next time she fights: Nunes could become the first champion who’s also a mother. She announced before UFC 250 that her wife, fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff, was pregnant and due in September.

“I can’t wait to see my daughter,” Nunes said. “I’m going to take the rest of the year off to think about my daughter.”

It’s a good time for a leave of absence, considering the UFC needs to develop future opponents for Nunes anyway. She has cleared out two divisions after the win over Spencer, beating every realistic challenger.

White sounds confident someone else will emerge; he sounded less certain about how long Nunes will continue to fight. White said she has made enough money to comfortably retire, especially after UFC 250. Champions like Nunes get a cut of the pay-per-view revenue, and according to White, the latest pay-per-view numbers trended high with no other sports competition.

Nunes has typically looked forward, but after UFC 250, she took time to reflect back, glancing side-to-side at both of her championship belts at the post-fight press conference.

“I knew something big was going to happen in my life, but sometimes it’s a surprise how big it is,” Nunes said. “It’s bigger than we talked about, but I was ready.”

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.