Amanda Nunes Biography: The Lioness, the Greatest Female Fighter in MMA History

November 15, 2026

Daniel Reed

Amanda Nunes biography: Amanda Nunes is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known as “The Lioness”, widely regarded as the greatest female fighter in MMA history. Born Amanda Lourenço Nunes on May 30, 1988, in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil, she was the first woman to hold two UFC titles at the same time, defending championships at bantamweight and featherweight. She retired in June 2023 as the reigning two-division champion, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2025, and came out of retirement at 38 to challenge Kayla Harrison for the bantamweight title at UFC 334 on November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Quick facts

Full name: Amanda Lourenço Nunes
Born: May 30, 1988, Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
Occupation: Mixed martial artist
Known for: First woman to hold two UFC titles simultaneously; most title-fight wins in UFC women’s history
Nickname: “The Lioness”
Height: 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Spouse: Nina Nunes, former UFC strawweight fighter
Children: Raegan Ann (born 2020), Hazel Ann (born 2023)

Early life

Nunes was born in Pojuca, a small town outside Salvador in the Brazilian state of Bahia, the youngest of three sisters. Her parents separated when she was four, and she was raised by her mother, Ivete. As a child she first wanted to be a professional footballer and played for local teams in Pojuca and Salvador, even trying out for Vitória, before her mother steered her toward school. Martial arts came early: capoeira from the age of five, karate from seven — her uncle was a Vale Tudo fighter and her mother trained in boxing and cornered him. She began Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 16, after her sister Vanessa invited her to a dojo, and took up boxing around the same time. At 17 she moved to Salvador to train at the Edson Carvalho academy, living at the gym for a period, and began judo. She moved to the United States in 2011, training first in New Jersey and then in Miami, before joining American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, in 2014. She holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in judo.

Early career

Nunes made her professional MMA debut on March 8, 2008, losing by first-round armbar — the only defeat of her career outside the UFC’s early years that would shape her. She rebuilt on the regional scene and announced herself in Strikeforce in January 2011, knocking out Julia Budd in 14 seconds. After a loss to Alexis Davis later that year and a 1-1 run in Invicta FC, she signed with the UFC. Her UFC debut came at UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro on August 3, 2013, a first-round technical knockout of Sheila Gaff. She stopped Germaine de Randamie the same year, then lost to Cat Zingano by third-round TKO at UFC 178 in September 2014 — a defeat that prompted her move to American Top Team. Wins over Shayna Baszler and Sara McMann followed, and by early 2016 she was in title contention.

Winning the bantamweight title

At UFC 200 in Las Vegas on July 9, 2016, Nunes submitted Miesha Tate by rear-naked choke in the first round to win the women’s bantamweight championship, becoming the first openly gay champion in UFC history. Her first defence, at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016, was the most famous 48 seconds of her career: she stopped Ronda Rousey by technical knockout in under a minute, and Rousey never fought in the UFC again. She defended the belt against Valentina Shevchenko by split decision at UFC 215 in September 2017 — a rematch of her 2016 win over the same opponent — and against Raquel Pennington by fifth-round TKO at UFC 224 in Rio in May 2018.

Becoming a double champion

On December 29, 2018, at UFC 232 in Inglewood, Nunes moved up to featherweight and knocked out Cris Cyborg in 51 seconds to win the featherweight title, becoming the first woman to hold two UFC titles simultaneously and ending Cyborg’s 19-fight winning streak. She remains the only fighter to defend titles in two weight classes while holding both. She defended the bantamweight belt against Holly Holm by first-round knockout at UFC 239 in July 2019 and against Germaine de Randamie by unanimous decision at UFC 245 that December, then defended the featherweight title against Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 in June 2020 and Megan Anderson at UFC 256 in December 2020. Her record in title fights reached 11 wins — the most in UFC women’s history — and her 12-fight winning streak from 2015 to 2021 is the longest in UFC women’s history.

The Peña loss, the rematch, and retirement

At UFC 269 on December 11, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nunes was submitted by Julianna Peña in the second round, losing the bantamweight title in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. It was her first defeat since 2014. The rematch at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022, in Dallas went the other way: Nunes won every round on every scorecard to regain the title by unanimous decision. Her final fight came at UFC 289 on June 10, 2023, in Vancouver, a unanimous-decision win over Irene Aldana. Moments after the decision was announced, she laid both championship belts down on the canvas and announced her retirement, walking away as the reigning two-division champion. She has said she was burned out after years of defending belts in two divisions without a break, and wanted to spend time with her growing family.

Hall of Fame and the comeback

In April 2025 the UFC announced Nunes’s induction into the UFC Hall of Fame; she entered the Modern Wing as part of the Class of 2025 at a ceremony on June 26, 2025, during International Fight Week in Las Vegas, the third woman ever inducted. That same month she announced her comeback. Her return fight was booked against Kayla Harrison, the two-time Olympic judo gold medallist who had taken the bantamweight title from Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in June 2025 — and a former American Top Team training partner of Nunes. The fight was first set for UFC 324 in January 2026, then postponed when Harrison needed neck surgery for five herniated discs, requiring a two-level fusion. It was rebooked as the co-main event of UFC 334 on November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York, with both fighters weighing in at 135 lb. Harrison entered as the betting favourite (around −170), with Nunes the underdog at around +145 — although seven of eleven MMA Junkie staff writers picked Nunes to win. The fight was her first in more than three years, and she said before it that she intended to defend the title if she won, rather than treat the night as a one-off farewell.

Personal life

Nunes is married to fellow fighter Nina Nunes (née Ansaroff), a former UFC strawweight; the two met at an MMA gym in Florida and both trained at American Top Team. They have two daughters, both carried by Nina: Raegan Ann, born September 24, 2020, and Hazel Ann, born November 1, 2023. The family lives in Florida, around Coral Springs and Coconut Creek. Nunes also runs Lioness Studio, her gym in Florida.

Net worth snapshot

As of November 2026, Amanda Nunes’s net worth is estimated at $4 million, based on the figures published by Celebrity Net Worth and Wealthy Gorilla, which agree on the number. No Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun net-worth figure exists for her. The fortune comes almost entirely from her fighting career: disclosed UFC purses of around $8.6 million across 17 appearances, plus pay-per-view shares and smaller income from outfitting deals, video-game likeness rights and her gym.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Amanda Nunes?

Amanda Nunes is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known as ‘The Lioness’, widely regarded as the greatest female fighter in MMA history. She was the first woman to hold two UFC titles at the same time — bantamweight and featherweight — retired as the reigning two-division champion in June 2023, entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2025, and returned to challenge Kayla Harrison for the bantamweight title at UFC 334 in November 2026.

How old is Amanda Nunes?

Amanda Nunes was born on May 30, 1988, in Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil, so she is 38 years old. She was 35 when she retired in June 2023 and 38 when she came out of retirement for UFC 334 in November 2026.

Why did Amanda Nunes retire?

Nunes retired in June 2023 after beating Irene Aldana at UFC 289, saying she was burned out after years of defending titles in two divisions without a break and wanted to spend time with her family. She laid both championship belts down in the Octagon as she announced it.

Is Amanda Nunes fighting again?

Yes. Nunes came out of retirement to challenge Kayla Harrison for the women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 334 on November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York — her first fight in more than three years. The bout had originally been scheduled for UFC 324 in January 2026 but was delayed when Harrison needed neck surgery.

What is Amanda Nunes’s record?

Before UFC 334, Amanda Nunes’s professional MMA record was 23 wins and 5 losses, including 16 wins and 2 losses in the UFC. Thirteen of her wins came by knockout or technical knockout and four by submission, and her 11 title-fight wins are the most in UFC women’s history.