MMA great Amanda Nunes retires after win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289

The Brazilian is widely regarded as the greatest ever women’s mixed martial artist

Pa Sport Staff
Monday 12 June 2023 12:18 EDT
Floyd Mayweather’s fight with John Gotti III ends in brawl

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Amanda Nunes has retired after retaining her world bantamweight belt against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in Vancouver.

The Brazilian, who also held the featherweight title, won a unanimous decision at Rogers Arena and, after placing her belts on the canvas, announced she was calling time on her career.

She said in her Octagon interview:  “Double champion forever, today is a perfect night to retire.

“My mum has been watching me do this for so long, she cannot take it anymore. So I decided, I am still young to enjoy everything I make.

“I never worked out in my mind that I would become a champion and when I did it was unbelievable.”

Nunes, 35, dominated in the Octagon over a lengthy career, and is the first woman to become a champion in two divisions. She is the only fighter to defend two titles while holding them both.

Saturday’s bout was supposed to be against Julianna Pena, but the former champion withdrew due to injury.

Nunes’ victory over Aldana means she walks away with a 23-5 record and is widely regarded as the greatest ever women’s mixed martial artist.

PA

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in