The world has always been hesitant to welcome women into the land of sports. Despite such hesitation, many women have carved their name in different sports, and one of them happens to be Amanda Nunes.
Full name, Amanda Lourenco Nunes, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who has made a place in the martial art world.
Nunes is the first woman to win a two-division UFC champion. She is also the third fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two classes simultaneously.
Along with various other titles, Nunes is also the only and first fighter in UFC history to defend two titles while holding them. Amanda is widely considered to be one of the greatest women’s MMA fighters of all time.
Currently, she is #1 in the UFC women’s pound for pounding rankings as of June 2, 2020.
Competing in the UFC championship multiple times, she has emerged as the winner holding the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.
Started in 2011 and coming a long way, Amanda ‘The Lioness’ Nunes has proven herself to be unbeatable when fighting.
Amanda Nunes: Quick Facts
| Full name | Amanda Lourenco Nunes |
| Nickname | The Lioness |
| Date of Birth | May 30, 1988 |
| Birthplace | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Ethnicity | Not Known |
| Religion | Not Known |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Age | 36 years old |
| Father’s name | Sindoval Nunes |
| Mother’s name | Ivete Nunes |
| Sibling | Two Older Sisters |
| Sibling Name | Vanessa Nunes |
| High School | Not Known |
| College | Not Known |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife’s Name | Nina Ansaroff |
| Ex-Lovers | Not Known |
| Children | One Daughter |
| Children’s Name | Raegan Ann Nunes |
| Weight | 61 kg/135 lb |
| Height | 173 cm/5’8” |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Body type | Athletic |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Artist |
| Debut | MMA – At Prime MMA Championship2 on March 8, 2008 |
| Division | Bantamweight (2011-present) |
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm) |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2008 – present |
| Net Worth | $70 million |
| Social Media | |
| Merch | Autographed Fight Shorts, ESPN Poster Print, Signed UFC Gloves |
| Last Update | December, 2024 |
Early Life, Childhood, and Education
Amanda Nunes, aka Lioness, was born on May 30, 1988, in a small town outside of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Nunes was raised by her single mother, along with two older sisters. She was the youngest among the three sisters.
At four, while other children were busy playing, Nunes started karate training. When she was sixteen years old, she pursued training in boxing.
With the invitation to a dojo by her trained sister, she competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Nunes attended a local high school; however, it is unknown whether she pursued further education after her high school graduation.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
While living in New Jersey, Amanda Nunes trained at AMA Fight Club. Later, she moved to Miami to train at MMA Masters.
At present, she is currently training at the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.
For the future, Nunes intends to fight at 135 pounds after the completion of 145-pound weight divisions.
The present martial artist made her debut on March 8, 2008, at Prime MMA Championship 2.
Strikeforce
Nunes won five straight fights with her hard work, all by knockout prior, which made her Strikeforce debut on January 7, 2011, at the Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nunes fought Alexis Davis at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov on September 10, 2011. Sadly, Nunes lost the fight via TKO late in the second round.
In the second round, exhaustion from the first round was hitting Nunes.
Due to her exhaustion, Davis instantly reversed Nunes while attempting a takedown, and Davis obtained full mount to finish Nunes with strikes.
Nadia Kassem Bio: Mixed Martial Arts, Family & Career >>
Invicta FC
In July 2012, Nunes was scheduled to match against Milana Dudieva at Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann. However, due to illness, Dudieva withdrew from the fight.
Later, Amanda Nunes was then scheduled to match with Leslie Smith instead.
Again, due to an injury, Smith also withdrew, and Nunes ultimately faced Raquel Pa’aluhi. Nunes got the upper hand via technical submission with a rear-naked choke act in the first round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In August 2013, Nunes made her Octagon debut in a face-off with Sheila Gaff at UFC 163 in Brazil. With the act of TKO, she won the fight.
Nunes made her second UFC appearance in November 2013, when she faced Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night 31. Similar to her previous match, she won the fight via TKO in the first round.
For her third fight and promotion in the Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale, Nunes was taken as an injury replacement for Shayna Baszler against Sarah Kaufman.
With higher competition, Nunes faced more intense opponents. At UFC 178, Nunes faced Cat Zingano.
Nunes threw punches in the first round and was close to finishing Zingano; however, she lost the next round in the third round before being finished via TKO.
On March 5, 2016, Nunes faced Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 196, bringing victory by unanimous decision.
Bantamweight Champion
The Lioness earned her first title shot in the UFC after accumulating a three-fight win streak.
In a match with Miesha Tate, she won the fight by submission in the first round early on with knees and punches. With her victory, she became the first openly gay champion in UFC history.
Then in late December, Nunes had to defend her title from Ronda Rousey in the main event at UFC 207. She easily defeated the diva via TKO.
During her second title defense at UFC 213, Nunes arranged a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. However, due to chronic sinusitis, Nunes was hospitalized the morning of the fight, leading to cancelation.
Despite the gap, Nunes and Shevchenko had a match at UFC 215 in September in Edmonton, Alberta. Similar to their previous match, by slipt decision, Nunes won the closely contested fight.
At UFC 224, Nunes faced Raquel Pennington, where she finished the fight with ground and pound at 2:36 of round five. The match was the first event in UFC history to be headlined by two openly gay fighters.
Featherweight Champion
In the UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion, Nunes faced Cris Cyborg with hard work and effort.
In the match, Nunes brought the victory by knocking Cyborg out in 51 seconds of the first round. This victory led her to become the new UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion.
Similarly, the victory made her the first woman in UFC history to hold championship belts in different divisions simultaneously. Such victory brought many honors, including the Performance of the Night award.
Russell’s historic triple-double, Harden franchise record, Kyrie & Steph’s amazing return >>
Amanda Nunes returned to Bantamweight after honor and victory to make her fourth title defense against former champion Holly Holm.
Like her previous results, Amanda won the fight via knockout in round one after dropping Holm with a head kick and followed by punches. Her victory earned her the honor of, Performance of the Night award.
At UFC 25, Nunes matched against Germaine de Randamie, and she won the fight via unanimous decision. This win indicated Nunes as the woman with the most wins in women’s title fights in the UFC, with seven such wins.
In December 2020, Nunes scheduled a match against Megan Anderson to defend her featherweight title.
However, in November, Nunes pulled out due to an undisclosed injury, and the bout was postponed to 2021.
On March 6, 2021, the pair had a match for UFC 259. At the end of the match, Nunes had won the fight via triangle armbar in round one.
Amanda Nunes Net Worth
The Brazilian female fighter has earned over $3,197,500 due to her blood, sweat, and tears in her UFC career. She earned her highest paycheck after her match with the former champion, Holly Holm.
With the victory over the champion, Nunes earned $590,000 due to her hard work. Amanda Nunes has an estimated net worth of 4 million dollars when it comes to her net worth.
Amanda Nunes Wife
Similar to Amanda Nunes’ passion, her wife, Nina Ansaroff, is also a UFC fighter. Nina Ansaroff also competes in the strawweight division of the competition.
Ansaroff was brought up in Weston, Florida, where she began her training as a mixed martial artist in 2009. being a great fighter herself, she holds a terrific record of 16 wins and 6 losses in her career.
“It is huge, not so much for us or the fact we are trying to get recognition as a gay couple, but for the human race as it is. People are people.
They could be your neighbor or your next UFC champion. Treat everybody the same.”
Nunes and Ansaroff are considered a power couple in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The couple met one another in the year 2012.
In the same year in Florida, they were training partners at the American Top Team gym. They both got along quite well, and soon after, in 2018, the couple announced their engagement to the world.
Click here to know about the American baseball player, Cody Ponce who has been breaking barriers >>
Both Nunes and Ansaroff have been pillars of support, motivating, and helping each other. Amanda Nunes has credited most of her share of success to her wife, Ansaroff.
In the previous year, 2020, the couple became proud parents to a beautiful baby girl Raegan Ann Nunes.
The couple is proud of what they’ve achieved and posts loving and affectionate pictures on social media with their lovely daughter.
Social Media Presence
Amanda Nunes is one of the famous fighters from Brazil who has captured the hearts of many. Also, she is seen active on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram.
Likewise, she has a roaring amount of followers, and one can follow her to know about her lifestyle and family on social media.
Twitter – 312.3K Followers
Frequent Asked Questions
Who is Amanda Nunes’s Husband?
Amanda Nunes has always been open about her sexuality and is the first openly lesbian champion in UFC history.
Currently, she is married to fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff, who competes in the Strawweight division.
Who does Amanda Nunes fight next?
For the upcoming Fighting Championship women’s two-division champion, Amanda Nunes will defend her featherweight title opposite top 145-pound contender Megan Anderson.
Did Amanda Nunes have a baby?
Amanda Nunes and her fiancée, Nina Ansaroff, had their first child. Ansaroff gave birth to their daughter named Raegan Ann Nunes.
