Amanda Nunes: 5 Defining Moments

She has come to embody clinical ferocity.

Amanda Nunes will put her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight crown on the line against Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC 213 main event this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, their rematch serving as the cornerstone for the organization’s International Fight Week festivities. “The Lioness” will carry a five-fight winning streak into the cage, a run of success that includes a three-round unanimous decision over Shevchenko in March 2016. Nunes, 29, has compiled a stellar 7-1 record since joining the UFC roster a little less than four years ago, the American Top Team standout having battered Germaine de Randamie, Sheila Gaff, Shayna Baszler and others along the way. A devastating finisher, she has delivered 13 of her 14 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Though relatively brief, Nunes’ career has its share of defining moments. Here are five that stand out:

1. Strike First, Strike Hard

She was a 22-year-old prospect when she made her Strikeforce debut before 2,631 fans at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan. 7, 2011, and Nunes wasted little time in making her presence known. She leveled Julia Budd in just 14 seconds at Strikeforce Challengers “Woodley vs. Saffiedine,” the stunning performance upstaging event headliners Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine. An Edson Carvalho protégé, Nunes uncorked a quick inside leg kick to start and then fired away with punches. Her initial burst put Budd on her heels before a straight left hand dropped the Canadian where she stood. Seven unanswered, rapid-fire hammerfists from Nunes punctuated the finish, and a star was born.

2. Iron Sharpens Iron

Cat Zingano took out Nunes with third-round ground-and-pound from the mount in a featured women’s bantamweight battle at UFC 178 on Sept. 27, 2014 inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Undefeated at the time, Zingano drew the curtain on the Brazilian 1:21 into Round 3. Nunes emptied her gas tank in the first round, where she took down the former Ring of Fire champion and battered her with heavy, relentless ground-and-pound. Zingano weathered the assault and drew “The Lioness” into deeper waters. Nunes had nothing left for the subsequent rounds. In the third, Zingano achieved full mount, opened a nasty gash on the side of the Brazilian’s head with a well-placed elbow and sealed it with unanswered blows from the top. Nunes has not lost since.

3. Olympic Effort

Nunes submitted Sara McMann with a first-round rear-naked choke in a women’s bantamweight showcase at UFC Fight Night 73 on Aug. 8, 2015 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. McMann tapped 2:53 into Round 1, as the 2004 Olympic silver medalist suffered the first submission defeat of her career. Nunes peppered the Olympian with clean, accurate punches on the feet and shut down her takedown game with surprising ease. McMann grew increasingly desperate. Nunes countered a leg kick with a three-punch combination -- a wicked right hand set off the quick burst -- that drove McMann to her knees. The Brazilian then climbed to half guard, advanced to the back, softened McMann with punches and cinched the choke. The effort earned Nunes a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus and allowed her to mark her territory as an emerging threat at 135 pounds.

4. Hail to the Queen

Her brilliance was blinding. Nunes became the fourth women’s bantamweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, as she shredded Miesha Tate with punches and then submitted her with a first-round rear-naked choke in the UFC 200 headliner on July 9, 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Tate tapped to the choke 3:16 into Round 1, her reign at the top over after four short months. Once Nunes trapped “Cupcake” on the feet, the fight was essentially over. She sent a series of straight punches crashing into Tate’s face, blood pouring from what appeared to be a broken nose. The Xtreme Couture rep retreated to the cage but found no refuge there, as Nunes continued the onslaught until Tate collapsed. The Brazilian then pounced with punches, slid to the back and cinched the choke. According to preliminary FightMetric data, Nunes connected with 40 strikes. Tate landed three. It was a rout in every sense of the word.

5. Getting Rowdy

It was a massacre. Nunes obliterated Ronda Rousey to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 207 headliner on Dec. 30, 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rousey succumbed to punches 48 seconds into Round 1. Nunes picked apart the former champion with clean lefts and rights. Rousey was out on her feet before she knew what happened, and her desperate attempts to clinch and recover proved unsuccessful. Nunes created some distance and let her hands go until referee Herb Dean moved in to wave it off. It was a merciful stoppage. Once the crown jewel of women’s MMA, Rousey has not fought since and, more importantly, has shown no interest in doing so.