Is Amanda Nunes capable of ending Cris Cyborg’s incredible run in the UFC?

Posted on | September 26, 2018 | No Comments

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will host one of the most anticipated fights in the women’s division, as two champions go face-to-face with each other in what will be anything but atypical fight.

On December 29th, UFC 232 will see the Women’s Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, take on Cris Cyborg, the current Women’s Featherweight champion. The pair have exchanged barbs on social media, in particular, with regards to the date of their fight.

Since @Amanda_Leoa wants me to sit 10 months without fighting… any Featherweights willing to fight #ufc228? Nunes last fight only sold 85k ppv ….I’m not counting on much help from her to reach that $2.50 ppv bonus. https://t.co/sHHjqQdIRB

— CyborgVNunes #UFC232 (@criscyborg) July 12, 2018

The odds suggest that Cris Cyborg is the most likely to end up as the victor, being priced at 3/10. But can Nunes upset the odds and defeat one of the most dominant women the UFC has ever seen?

The Build-Up

Cyborg was hoping to have the fight in September, so as to avoid a substantial amount of time since last having a competitive fight in the Octagon. However, Nunes’ camp said the Bantamweight champion wouldn’t be ready for the UFC 228 pay-per-view in September and instead a picture was posted of Nunes signing a contract for the fight to take place at UFC 232 on December 29th in Las Vegas.

Talk of the fight began earlier this year as Nunes and her camp called for the match to take place. Cyborg was more than willing to accept the challenge, but has become frustrated at having to wait nearly 10 months to fight again, having defeated Yana Kunitskaya in March.

When the two finally collide inside the Octagon, it will be an historic fight, as the winner will become the first woman to hold two championships at the same time, something that has only been achieved in the UFC twice overall, with Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier having achieved the feat in the men’s divisions.

Conor McGregor takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov at the UFC 229 pay-per-view and the Khabib vs McGregor odds are in favour of the undefeated Russian, with Khabib at 4/7 to win.

Amanda Nunes

Nunes, from the Bahia region of Brazil, is currently undefeated in her last 7 professional fights. She last tasted defeat back in September 2014 at the hands of Cat Zingano. Her current record in the UFC is nine wins and one loss.

She captured the UFC Women’s Bantamweight championship in July 2016 after defeating Miesha Tate via submission at UFC 200. She has since successfully defended her championship on three occasions against Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Raquel Pennington.

Despite her success in the UFC, it will be interesting to see how Nunes fares in moving up a weight class. Could it be that she loses some of her speed, creating an opening for Cyborg to pounce with her precise striking ability?

Cris Cyborg

Cyborg, whose real name is Cristiane Justino Venancio, has not lost since opening her professional account with a defeat against Erica Paes in 2005. However, she has since remained undefeated and is currently 5-0 in the UFC. Much like her opponent, Cyborg hails from Brazil and there has been speculation that this could be her final fight in the UFC.

It was in July 2017 that Cyborg won the vacant UFC Women’s Featherweight championship, defeating Tonya Evinger via technical knockout in the third round. She has since successfully defended it against Yana Kunitskaya and Holly Holm, the latter of whom famously beat the previously undefeated Ronda Rousey.

When her contract expires in March 2019, Cyborg has stated that she wishes to make the move over to boxing, something she has long desired to do. Boxing is a part of her style, along with muay thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling, all of which make her a fierce competitor inside the Octagon.

Prediction

This fight will no doubt be a close call, as both women have proven themselves in their respective weight classes.

Cyborg’s striking ability could be the difference between victory and defeat for the Featherweight champion, while Nunes should look to takedown her opponent and try to strike her while in a prone position.

A submission victory is unlikely, with the pair of Brazilians preferring to instead try for the knockout victory.
With Cyborg having the size advantage as well as being used to competing at the 145lb weight, our prediction is for Cyborg to defeat Nunes via knockout.

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