Amanda Nunes has won 11 consecutive fights and hasn’t really been pushed to her limit since a contested split decision win over fellow champion Valentina Shevchenko back in 2017.
The reigning two-weight titleholder will attempt to defend her featherweight championship against Australia’s Megan Anderson, a former Invicta FC champion and the biggest woman currently on the UFC roster, on Saturday night in the UFC 259 co-main event.
Nunes has looked unbeatable in her recent outings, but in MMA anyone can be beaten on any given night. She has accomplished all there is to accomplish in MMA, but if you’re worried her motivation might be lacking, think again.
Nunes and her wife, UFC strawweight Nina Ansaroff, became first-time parents in September and the champ has been saying all fight week that her daughter, Raegan, ignited an entirely new level of motivation for this title defence.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Amanda Nunes
Nickname: The Lioness
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, Fla., via Pojuca, Bahia, Brazil
Age: 32 | Height: 5-foot-8 | Weight: 145 pounds
Arm reach: 69 inches | Leg reach: 41 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Average fight time: 9:38
Background: Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
MMA record: 20-4 | UFC record: 13-1
Notable wins: Cris “Cyborg” Justino, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko, Germaine de Randamie, Julia Budd
Notable Accomplishments: No. 1 women’s pound-for-pound fighter in MMA; most wins in UFC history (women’s divisions); defending women’s featherweight and bantamweight champion with six total title defences; sixth multi-division champion in UFC history; five-time Performance of the Night recipient; Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
Megan Anderson
Fighting out of: Kansas City, Mo., via Gold Coast, Australia
Age: 31 | Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 144.5 pounds
Arm reach: 72 inches | Leg reach: 43 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Average fight time: 5:23
Background: Boxing
MMA record: 11-4 | UFC record: 3-2
Notable wins: Cat Zingano, Charmaine Tweet
Notable Accomplishments: Former Invicta FC featherweight champion; five post-fight bonuses (three Performance of the Night, one Fight of the Night in Invicta FC, one Performance of the Night in the UFC)
If this fight stays on the feet it could be competitive. Anderson is younger, taller and has a reach advantage. Historically we know it’s a huge plus when a fighter has those three metrics in their favour.
Anderson has a nice jab and damages opponents with a classic one-two down the pipe. Her right hand is what felled Norma Dumont last February, which earned her this title shot. Her long legs means Nunes will have to account for knees and kicks.
Still, Nunes should have the advantage basically anywhere this fight takes place. If Anderson does give Nunes any resistance in the striking game, Nunes’s advantage in the grappling department should stand out.
Betting odds
If Anderson can win, it would end up being one of the biggest upsets in UFC history after Nunes opened as a whopping -1000 favourite. It would be just behind Holly Holm’s win over Ronda Rousey in terms of upsets in a title fight.
Anderson’s two losses in the UFC were to Holm and Felicia Spencer. Nunes defeated both of those women with relative ease. She has never been this heavily favoured in her UFC career.
Prop bets to consider: Nunes by submission at +210
Since the line is so lopsided, you’ll have to either go with the dog in the +650 range or single out a Nunes prop to get decent value. On her current 11-fight winning streak, Nunes has six first-round finishes, two by rear-naked choke submission. Nunes via first-round stoppage is +140.
Anderson has never fought beyond three rounds and her two stoppage losses were via submission. Nunes is a phenomenal puncher so picking her to win on the ground goes against the narrative, which is why there’s some value there. On the flipside, if Anderson is going to win it’ll most likely be inside the distance and that dice roll would pay +850.
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