The incredible backstory of Amanda Nunes ahead of UFC 289

Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana will face each other this Saturday at UFC 289 in a bout for the women’s bantamweight title.

Brazilian star Nunes will be looking to make another defense of her prestigious title that she has held since 2016 apart from a brief stint in early 2022.

The 35-year-old is an undisputed legend of the martial arts, through her performances inside the octagon, but it’s also her actions outside of it that elevate her status to the next level.

The ‘Lioness’ became the UFC’s first openly gay champion when she claimed her first title in 2016 and has since racked up more impressive milestones.

And so, here, Mail sports has looked back at Amanda Nunes’ impressive legacy.

Nunes is considered a pioneer in the sport and has become the UFC’s first openly gay champion

She puts her bantamweight title on the line when she takes on Irene Aldana (above) at UFC 289

Surprisingly, Nunes did not intend to become a professional mixed-martial artist during her childhood, but instead wanted to become a soccer player.

After she started playing with her local team, she finally got a chance to try out for Vitoria’s team, but was forced to focus on studies by her family.

While her mother was keen for Nunes to prioritize her education, there was also a strong interest in martial arts within the family.

At the age of seven, Nunes was already involved in karate lessons and was under the tutelage of her mother.

‘My mother used to box and I followed her footsteps to training. She likes to fight. My uncle used to fight Vale Tudo, and my mother even cornered him in some of his fights,” Nunes explained to MMA fights.

After practicing her skills for over a decade, she began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and quickly rose within the local fighting community.

After success in numerous BJJ competitions, Nunes chose to move to America in 2007 and begin mixed-martial arts training – and she hasn’t looked back since.

The 35-year-old stormed through rival fighting organizations Strikeforce and Invicta before finally joining the UFC in 2013.

Taking on German star Sheila Gaff in her octagon debut, she wasted little time asserting her dominance, recording a first-round knockout victory.

Nunes – pictured with her daughter Raegan Ann Nunes – has previously confessed that her first love was soccer, but she had to leave her youth team to focus on education

Despite her interest in other sports, the Brazilian (left) has become a well-known star in the martial arts world

Despite a misstep in her third UFC fight, a TKO loss to Cat Zingano, Nunes had an impeccable track record within Dana White’s organization to kick-start her UFC career.

And after defeating Valentina Shevchenko via unanimous decision in March 2016, the Brazilian star was already lining up for her first title shot.

Only American bantamweight Miesha Tate stood between the ‘Lioness’ and UFC gold, and when the two fighters headlined UFC 200, there was only one outcome.

The Brazilian turned in a stunning performance, delivering a first-round knockout to claim her first title and dethrone the champion.

Her victory over Tate saw Nunes become the UFC’s first openly gay champion, marking a historic moment for the company and martial arts as a whole.

The Brazilian has been married to former UFC star Nina Nunes (maiden name Ansaroff) since 2019, but their relationship started years before when both were members of the MMA Masters training school.

They met shortly after Nunes’ move to the United States in 2007 and have enjoyed sharing each other’s journey through the UFC.

“I also feel like my relationship with Nina was pivotal in my life,” Nunes previously revealed the UFC.

“She came into my life at the right time, when I needed someone like her in my life.

Amanda Nunes and former UFC star Nina Nunes (right) – née Ansaroff – have been married since 2019

The Brazilian fighter insists her partner is a “big part” of her success in the UFC

The iconic martial arts couple confirmed they are expecting another child later this year

“Since I met Nina, everything has gone well. We are very happy, we really help each other grow and really stand behind each other. She’s a big part of everything that’s happened in my life.”

Competing in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division, Nina boasted an 11-7 record before retiring in August of last year.

While her career didn’t reach the heights of her partner’s, together they have become one of the most iconic couples in the sport.

Together they have a daughter, Raegan Ann Nunes, and recently announced via their social media that they are expecting another one.

With Nina by her side, Nunes has gone from strength to strength in the octagon and continued to dominate after her victory over Miesha Tate.

She followed up that win with impressive performances against Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Raquel Pennington before landing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After multiple defenses of the bantamweight belt, she was scheduled to fight featherweight champion Cris Cyborg – who had been defeated just once in 21 appearances before their clash.

Many expected the fight to be a formality for Cyborg, but in reality, Nunes produced a stunning first-round knockout to become the first female double champion in the UFC.

“She is the greatest female fighter of all time and she is one of the greatest mixed martial artists who ever lived,” said UFC president said Dana White when asked about the two-division world champion.

Nunes handed Cris Cyborg her only loss ever in the UFC with an emphatic first-round KO

She became the UFC’s first female doubles champion after stunningly defeating Cyborg

“Each GOAT has evolved over time and it’s not just about who you beat, it’s about how you beat them.

“If you look at who beat them, it’s a who’s who and you look at how she beat them — there aren’t many women who knock other women out, but she knocks women out.”

White has always been a huge admirer of Nunes, even bringing up the Brazilian’s name when reflecting on the 2021 crossover match between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul.

He said, “Think about this… imagine Kim Kardashian wanting to fight Amanda Nunes.

“How big do you think that fight will be? It would be huge. It would be the largest [event] but give me a goddamn break.

“You create this energy around a fight where you think ‘oh this [is exciting]’ and then you watch it and then you turn off the TV and you say, ‘I just wasted another night, I should have gone out and done something else.'”

Welcoming a fight with the TV star, Nunes tweeted, “Hey @KimKardashian, let’s do this? LOL’. The reality star never replied and so the fight never happened.

Nunes once offered reality TV star Kim Kardashian to fight, via a social media post

Nunes even took aim at influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul once after the internet star took a shot at company president White.

Paul had called the UFC chief a “f****** p****” online before telling White TMZ“I’m thinking about letting Amanda Nunes freak out.”

Though the fight never happened, Nunes made her feelings about the fight clear by tweeting, “I’m in.”

Despite everything she’s accomplished in her career, both inside and outside the octagon, a ruthless knockout on the YouTuber would solidify her as a martial arts legend.