Amanda Nunes defeats Irene Aldana by Decision then retires UFC 289

Amanda Nunes put on a dominate performance in her fight against Irene Aldana, and with both Juliana Pena, and Valentina Shevchenko sitting cage side she left fights fans still wanted to see on the table.  With Nunes having gone 1-1 against Pena with the first defeat coming to Nunes after she submitted to a choke with no hooks and the second loss coming to Pena who loss a decision in a fight where Nunes displayed her ability to counter the jab by switching to the Southpaw position.  Pena was injured in the lead up to UFC 289 which required Irene Aldana to step in as a late replacement.  Valentina Shevchenko who was a long reigning flyweight (125lbs) champion had 2 performances against Nunes close enough that they’ve long asked for the trilogy fight.

Cyborg who had her own difficulties securing a rematch against Amanda Nunes following her shocking upset loss in 2018, eventually was forced into finishing her contract by accepting a different opponent in Felica Spencer after Nunes campaigned she would not be returning to Featherweight and essentially stuck to her words by not defending the Featherweight Belt again for another 2 years.  Cyborg eventually signed the largest contract in WMMA and joined forces with Bellator MMA where she became the only Grand Slam Champion in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and has remained undefeated, including two professional boxing fights while Nunes suffered a loss to Juliana Pena just last year.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ®️ Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg)

Cyborg posted that while she had always had goals of a Cyborg Vs Nunes 2 fight, that with Nunes no longer claiming a championship at 145lbs her expected upcoming fight against Cat Zingano would be for an undisputed World Championship at Featherweight in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.  The UFC who never held rankings for the division is expected to close the division following Nunes’s retirement effectively making Bellator MMA the home of the #1 Featherweight now undisputed.

Nunes had a stellar UFC career after getting her start on the regional scene before moving to the USA and competing with Invicta FC and Strikeforce.  While Nunes lost in contender fights in both of those divisions, she was always seen as a hot prospect just needing to reach maturity.  Zingano suffered her first UFC loss by TKO against Cat Zingano before going on an incredible streak which included every former Bantamweight, and Flyweight champion in the promotional history before her own shocking loss to Juliana Pena.  Nunes is still relatively young.  Perhaps she is wanting to let the division play out and see how Juliana Pena preforms during her absence.  Do you think Amanda Nunes will remain retired or do you think we eventually see her return to the cage? Do you think Cris Cyborg will beat Cat Zingano to become Undisputed Bellator MMA World Champion at Featherweight?