Nunes challenges Justino in first women’s MMA superfight
Our favorite UFC Champ and Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes is set to claim the featherweight title from current titleholder, Cris Justino, in the first women’s MMA superfight.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White confirmed that the first women’s mixed martial arts superfight at UFC 232 will happen on Dec. 29, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena at Las Vegas.
This epic fight for the Women’s Featherweight Championship between these two women champions will be a first in UFC history.
Amanda Nunes: The road to the first women’s MMA superfight
Since the last time we talked about Nunes and her taking down Miesha Tate in July 2016 for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship title, she’s been pretty busy.
She made her first title defense against returning MMA champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 207, and defeated her via TKO in just 48 seconds into the first round.
She was supposed to go up against Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch at UFC 213 in July 2017, but she was hospitalized the morning of the fight with chronic sinusitis.
The fight was rescheduled at UFC 215 on September where Nunes won against Shevhenko via split decision.
Last May of this year, Nunues faced off against Raquel Pennington at UFC 224 where she dominated the fight. Coincidentally, Pennington is also openly lesbian like Nunes.
The first women’s MMA superfight contender is a lesbian
Nunes, of course, made UFC history by being an openly lesbian MMA champion.
She even kissed her girlfriend, fellow UFC fighter, Nina Ansaroff, on the live pay-per-view broadcast after winning her bantamweight championship match with Tate.
This was a bold move for Nunes and Ansaroff since the sport has been known to have discriminated against LGBTQ members.
The couple remarked that they’ve each found the best training partner in each other. The two capped their four-year relationship by announcing their engagement last August 18.
What’s more, Nunes– as an openly gay UFC champion– is encouraging of younger LGBTQ athletes to come out as well.
Low down on the Women’s Featherweight Championship
With a record of 16 wins and four losses, Nunes– called “The Lioness”– has the best odds of beating Justino, dubbed “Cyborg.”
A former Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion with some of the heaviest hands in MMA, Justino, 33, has dominated in her weight class with a 20-1 record.
While Nunes currently holds the bantamweight belt, Justino holds the title at the featherweight level.
In the UFC, bantamweight means 135 pounds while the featherweight level means 145 pounds. Nunes will basically have to come up to Justino’s weight division for the fight.
If Nunes wins, she would be the first woman in the UFC to hold two champion belts in different weight classes.
She will also be the third fighter of any gender to hold two such championships simultaneously.