In a stunning turn of events, Amanda Nunes, the 35-year-old Brazilian powerhouse, bid farewell to the UFC as a champion. Nunes solidified her status as one of the greatest women's fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history by successfully defending her bantamweight championship by decision against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on Saturday night. Immediately after the fight, Nunes shocked the world by announcing her retirement from the sport.
“Tonight is the perfect night to retire,” Nunes declared in the ring, basking in her triumphant victory over Aldana.
"AND STILL FOREVER! DOUBLE CHAMPION FOR LIFE!"
Amanda Nunes retires as a double champion after defeating Irene Aldana 👏
(via @ufc)pic.twitter.com/k9s39znhKe
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 11, 2023
Over the past nine years, Amanda Nunes has been an indomitable force in the MMA realm. She has emerged victorious in an impressive 14 out of her last 15 fights, including her latest encounter. Nunes even avenged her sole loss during this period by reclaiming the bantamweight title against Julianna Peña, who recently took a shot at the Brazilian fighter.
Despite possessing an illustrious Hall-of-Fame-worthy career and arguably being the most dominant female fighter in UFC history, Nunes' desire to continue her pursuit of greatness had been questioned as of late. UFC president Dana White publicly raised doubts about her hunger leading up to her rematch with Peña.
“Amanda is a multi-millionaire who is now at a completely different financial status,” White revealed in an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto in June 2022 (h/t Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie). He further added, “She has a baby now. Her life – she is not that hungry savage she was when she started to take this run at becoming a world champion. A lot of that factors in.”
Entering UFC 289 as both the bantamweight and featherweight champion, Amanda Nunes showcased her dominance yet again by defeating Aldana, who was a late replacement for the injured Peña. Aldana, with a respectable record of 7-4 in 11 UFC fights, had secured victories in four of her previous five bouts, three of which were by knockout or technical knockout.
The match against Amanda Nunes proved to be a significant leap in competition for Irene Aldana, as the champion swiftly demonstrated her expertise in securing her eighth successful title defense, further solidifying her legendary career.
“And still forever! Double champion for life!” Amanda Nunes jubilantly proclaimed, leaving an indelible mark on the sport as she walks away from professional fighting.