5 times that Amanda Nunes proved her greatness inside the octagon

#4. Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC 215

Amanda Nunes showed her poise and improvement when she faced Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215

It’s probably fair to say that Amanda Nunes’ UFC bantamweight title defense against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215 wasn’t all that entertaining. In fact, it could easily be seen as one of the worst UFC headline bouts in recent years.

However, the way ‘The Lioness’ showed that she’d matured from their first clash – which took place at UFC 196 eighteen months earlier – was a definite sign pointing to her greatness.

That first bout saw Amanda Nunes dominate the opening two rounds with her powerful ground game, only to gas out badly in the third, allowing Shevchenko to come back with a vengeance.

‘Bullet’ wasn’t quite able to finish Nunes and complete her comeback, but it was clear that there was unfinished business between the two.

Sure enough, the UFC booked a rematch between the two – with Nunes’ title now on the line – at UFC 215. However, if Shevchenko was banking on Nunes blowing up over five rounds, she was sorely mistaken.

Instead, ‘The Lioness’ fought a remarkably cerebral fight, going toe-to-toe with a fighter many fans figured was a more technically gifted striker, and largely outpointing her.

There were no signs of Nunes gassing out this time. While she only won via split decision and the fight wasn’t fun to watch, it was still a major achievement for her. When you consider Shevchenko’s achievements since, it stands as a major mark of Amanda Nunes’ greatness.

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#3. Amanda Nunes vs. Miesha Tate – UFC 200

Amanda Nunes dispatched Miesha Tate in violent fashion to become UFC bantamweight queen in 2016

Prior to UFC 200, Amanda Nunes had a well-earned reputation as a violent but limited fighter in the bantamweight division.

Sure, ‘The Lioness’ had taken out the likes of Shayna Baszler and Sara McMann with her power game, but she’d also gassed out against Valentina Shevchenko, and had been beaten down badly by Cat Zingano in their bout.

When she was handed a shot at UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, it felt like Nunes would act purely as a “challenger of the month” type for a more popular titleholder.

Instead, ‘The Lioness’ absolutely ran through Tate – destroying her with strikes before taking her to the ground and choking her out, all in just under three minutes.

Not only had Amanda Nunes claimed the UFC bantamweight title, but she’d established herself as more than just a brute power-based fighter. She was well on her way to proving herself as an all-time great.