UFC 232: Amanda Nunes quickly knocks out Cris Cyborg, making history while cementing her legacy

Once upon a time, Ronda Rousey was considered the best of the best when it came to women’s MMA. Just recently, Cris Cyborg was deemed that as well. With a combined 99 seconds, Amanda Nunes literally knocked both off of the top of the totem pole.

Nunes (17-4), the current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, completely outpunched Cris Cyborg at UFC 232. In just 0:51 seconds Nunes knocked down Cyborg to become the new UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion. As a result, Nunes became the first female double champion in UFC history.

OH MY GOD AMANDA NUNES!!!!!!!#UFC232 pic.twitter.com/EzyAhUYeSR

— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018

HAYMAKERS!!!#UFC232 @Amanda_Leoa pic.twitter.com/dbvMgokE9K

— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018

Nunes now joins an elite list of two-weight champions at the same time with Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier being the most recent ones.

Before the fight, it was predicted that Nunes’ ground game would be the factor that overpowers the mighty Cyborg. After all, both have impressive striking abilities due to their intense boxing training. It turns out that none of that mattered, as Nunes overpowered Cyborg (20-2, 1 NC) and hit shot after shot, each worse than the next. It was eerily similar to her dominant effort against Rousey, which first put Nunes on the map.

Nunes ended up winning a performance bonus, something her and her family will be happy to take. After the fight, Nunes told Joe Rogan that Dana White has to put her in the UFC Hall of Fame now. It would be hard to dismiss her after taking a quick look at her resume:

– Rousey

– Miesha Tate

– Valentina Shevchenko (2x)

– Cat Zingano

– Cyborg

Despite all of her wins leading up to tonight, Nunes was never heavily promoted. In fact, this fight was not a true talking point heading into UFC 232, as the main event of Jon Jones v. Alexander Gustafsson and the controversy surrounding it was. In less than a minute, however, Nunes silenced all critics and for a moment, all eyes were on her. She will look to keep that momentum going.

It is up to the UFC to promote one of the top female and general fighters in UFC history. Striking out after the Rousey bout, this time it is a no-brainer.

What is next to Cris Cyborg? After giving life to the depleted featherweight division, does the UFC go for the rematch? Will Cyborg need to test herself once again before that happens? With her contract coming up soon, there are a number of ways this can go in just a short period of time.

As for the champion, she could either continue to fight at bantamweight or first try and help out the featherweight division. There are more opponents in line for her belt in the former division, and making a transition is never easy. Stay tuned, as Nunes’ 2019 should be a fascinating one.

By the end of the night, Amanda Nunes became a true household name. An important moment for women’s MMA, this is the bout fight fans will be talking about for years to come. “The Lioness” has officially taken control of the jungle that is the UFC.

“I am the first female two-champ in the UFC,” said Nunes. “I am the greatest.”