Ronda Rousey is currently on top of the mixed martial arts community, if not the sports world as a whole. The undefeated UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion just defended her title at UFC 190 and is now poised to tackle more big-screen commitments. However, the MMA fanbase continues to wonder whether anyone will step forward and become a real threat to her title reign. Names such as Miesha Tate and Cris “Cyborg” Justino are two names that spring to mind, but there is another fighter who may not be far behind them on fans’ radar. With her victory on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 73, Amanda Nunes has inserted herself into the conversation as a potential challenger for the Olympic bronze medalist.
The fighter known as “Lioness” crushed another Olympian in Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 73, thumping McMann with a vicious right hand before finishing her off with a rear naked choke. That impressive win pushed Nunes into a prominent position within the women’s bantamweight division. For some, it was a good enough performance to spark a conversation about whether or not she should be the next challenge for Rousey.
Nunes has shown abilities that make her an interesting competitor at this time. She has knockout power, as McMann and the eight other women that she’s stopped in her career can attest to. She also has an in-cage skill set that mimics Rousey’s expertise — Nunes is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a brown belt in Judo.
She also has shown phenomenal takedown defense. In the McMann bout, the Olympic wrestler was able to secure a body lock on Nunes, but she was unable to find a way to drag her to the mat. In fact, outside of Cat Zingano, no fighter has taken Nunes to the ground during her UFC tenure. She may not have the same level of Judo acumen as Rousey, but it will be interesting to see it is enough to keep this fight standing, where she has a reach advantage.
Nunes has, however, shown a need to improve her cardio performance. This was her biggest problem against Zingano back at UFC 178. Nunes looked very good early in the bout, but after Zingano refused to wilt under her pressure, the Brazilian found herself mounted and succumbing to strikes. Perhaps her time training with American Top Team and the likes of UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler has helped her improve in that area. She will need to if she is ever given the opportunity to face Rousey. The champion pushes an amazing pace that no one other than Tate has been able to withstand for an extended period of time.
As Rousey continues to smash all of the competition placed in front of her, the search continues for her true foil. Cyborg and Tate may be the frontrunners in that race, but Nunes is finally making a push to be considered amongst that group. She still has to prove she’s earned the opportunity to share the cage with the best female fighter in the sport, but she has an interesting skill set to add to the dynamic.
• Sara McMann vs. Amanda Nunes: Amanda Nunes def. Sara McMann via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:53 of Round 1.
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UFC Fight Night 73: Saint Preux vs. Teixeira took place on August 8, 2015 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
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