It was a matter of “when,” not “if” for “The Lioness.”
Amanda Nunes, one of the most decorated women’s MMA fighters of all time, will be honored at this year’s UFC Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The retired 36-year-old will join the 2025 class as part of the “Modern Wing,” celebrating her lengthy list of accomplishments through 16 years in the UFC cage.
Most of the decade-and-a-half that Nunes spent gracing the UFC cage saw her as the best women’s bantamweight fighter in the world. She became a name synonymous with the 135-pound class, putting together a reign that outlasted the iconic run of Ronda Rousey while chasing other goals up a division, too.
Nunes captured the bantamweight title back in 2016, submitting Miesha Tate in just over three minutes with a rear naked choke. She would go on to have a run that saw her beat a who’s who in women’s MMA, getting past Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Holly Holm.
Just over a year after UFC introduced a women’s featherweight title, which has since been retired in recent years, Nunes got her hands on a shot at the belt. In one of the more stunning performances of her career, Nunes became a rare simultaneous two-division champion with a lightning-quick 51-second victory over Cris Cyborg. The fight remains Cyborg’s last defeat as a pro.
By 2021, Nunes’ time as champ had a surprising turn: In a seismic upset result, massive underdog Julianna Pena scored a second-round rear naked choke submission win to end her 1,981-day reign as champ.
The result, while shocking, was a short-lived period in the division. Nunes would rematch Pena half a year later, putting together a dominant five-round performance to avenge the loss and regain her bantamweight belt.
Nunes retired from MMA in 2023 after defending her 135-pound championship one last time, beating Irene Aldana. She left the sport with a list of accomplishments that not only set her above many other women, but most fighters in UFC history regardless of gender.
To this day, Nunes has the fifth-most title wins in UFC history (11, tied with Anderson Silva). She has the fourth-longest title reign in UFC history and the longest combined reign as champ (a total of 3,940 days between her three title runs).
Nunes’ upcoming Hall of Fame induction was announced at UFC 314 on Saturday night. Nunes was in attendance as the development was unveiled.
The 2025 UFC Hall of Fame ceremony is set for June 26th as part of “International Fight Week.” Robbie Lawler is also scheduled to be inducted, as will the 2019 fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum.
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