Amanda Nunes announces shock retirement after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 as the two-division champ walks away as the most successful female fighter of all time
- Nunes dominated Aldana to defend her title as she won by unanimous decision
- She has 16 wins in the UFC, the most of any female fighter ever
- The Brazilian retires a twoweight champion and puts her titles in the ring
Amanda Nunes has announced her shock retirement from MMA.
The Brazilian confirmed her decision after defeating Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC 289 in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Often referred to as the greatest female fighter of all time, Nunes has a record of 22 wins from 27 fights and was the only UFC champion in two divisions.
She had victories over Ronda Rousey and Julianna Pena, among others, in a decorated career.
“Tonight is the perfect night to retire,” she said after her win, shocking the martial arts world.
Amanda Nunes confirmed her retirement from the UFC after her latest win
Nunes defeated Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC 289 to retain her bantamweight title
The Brazilian dominated the entire match, winning by unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards
“My mom has been asking me so much to do this for so long. She can’t take it anymore. I want to enjoy everything I’ve made. I want to travel a bit with my family.
“I left my family in Brazil when I was so young for this dream, but I never thought I would be champion. But when I became champion, it was incredible.
“I come from a small town in Brazil, nobody knows where it is, but I came here and I made it as a champion. Now I’m leaving. Thank you.’
Nunes dominated Aldana as she secured a sixth successful defense of her bantamweight title over two reigns, with a unanimous appeal from the judges after the fight.
Nunes hugged President Dana White after her victory before resigning her titles
She landed 142 strikes to the Mexican’s 41 and clocked six takedowns to her opponent’s clean sheets to earn her 16th win in the UFC, the most of any female fighter.
In addition to her bantamweight title, Nunes held the featherweight championship and was number one in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings in the women’s division.
She was the only fighter to defend two UFC titles while holding both in the promotion’s history.
Following the announcement, an emotional Nunes put both her belts in the ring after raising her arm as she walked away from the sport.