Will Nunes Extend Her Legacy as the “Baddest Woman on the Planet” at UFC 250?

Amanda Nunes gets ready to return to the octagon at UFC 250. Will this event further cement her legacy as the true Baddest Woman On The Planet?

Having been put back, Amanda Nunes will finally step back into the octagon to defend her featherweight title at UFC 250. The UFC has been underway once again for a few weeks, with Nunes’ persona of being all-but unbeatable presenting itself as a huge draw for sports fans craving top-class action.

Nunes’ reign in the women’s bantamweight division has been nothing short of incredible. She’s mixed with the relatively quaint but indisputably impressive set of former champions, leaving no doubt to the Brazilian’s prestige. Now she’ll be venturing up to featherweight again, taking on Canada’s Felicia Spencer in the heavier division.

Confirmation of Nunes’ next bout

With Nunes having defeated Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245, she made it clear to Dana White that she wanted to step up to featherweight again. Having claimed the title to become the first female two-weight UFC champion by defeating Cris Cyborg in 51 seconds, the Brazilian aimed to further her legacy across two divisions.

At the end of February, UFC Norfolk saw four exciting featherweight contenders battle on the same night, with Megan Anderson besting Norma Dumont and Felicia Spencer coming out on top against Zarah Fairn dos Santos. Nunes made it clear that she was following the action on Twitter, leaving the decision of her next foe to White. He selected Spencer, with May 9 earmarked for the colossal title match.

Without divulging a venue, the UFC announced that the championship bout would take place a month later, on June 6. The event, UFC 250, was scheduled to take place in Australia, but will now be held in a United States venue. It’s unclear if it will be the headline bout, but it seems likely that Nunes’ first defense of the featherweight strap would at least be the co-headliner.

Nunes already the “Baddest Woman on the Planet”

Ever since her loss to Cat Zingano in 2014, Nunes has been unstoppable in the UFC. She’s won all of her last ten fights, etching herself as the greatest that the women’s bantamweight division has ever had to offer. Her legacy began with the dethroning of Ronda Rousey. Once Holly Holm shocked the world to defeat Rousey in 2015, the title jumped from champion to champion.

From Rousey to Holm, Miesha Tate then submitted Holm under four months after the title had changed hands. Then, four months later, Nunes submitted Tate to claim the strap. In perhaps the most fearsome initial defense of a title ever, Nunes then faced Rousey to determine who the “Baddest Woman on the Planet” was, with Rousey still boasting a lot of favor. Just 48 seconds later, Nunes’ striking would push her legendary foe into pro-wrestling.

After Rousey, Valentine Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, former champion Holly Holm, and first-ever bantamweight title-holder De Randamie, all fell before the Brazilian. Nunes’ next foe, Spencer, has never lost within the rounds, holding an 8-1-0 career record (2-1 in the UFC). This will be Nunes’ first return to featherweight since claiming the title in December 2018.

Who will win Nunes vs. Spencer?

As you would assume from a two-weight champion, riding a ten-fight wave of victories over the best that the promotion has to offer, Nunes is favored to take the win. However, when examining the outcomes of UFC fights, you must always utilize the key analysis tools to assess the outrights and all prop outcomes to see who’ll be the victor. After all, Spencer is no pushover.

There is very little between the two fighters regarding height and reach, with Spencer being an inch or so shorter in both regards. However, what does appear to be the divider is Nunes’ preference for striking to Spencer’s tendency to use her weight to throw opponents around, and beat them on the ground. That said, Nunes’ ground game is solid, and Spencer deploys leg kicks with devastating precision.

This fight will be a huge step up for the Canadian contender, but her three-round UD loss to Cris Cyborg will have given Spencer some much-needed experience against an elite-class fighter. She endured a grueling match with Cyborg and, if she can evade Nunes’ nasty strikes, she could push the Brazilian beyond the expectations of the tipsters. If Spencer can get up close, enforcing her natural strength and power to constrict Nunes, she may find an unexpected avenue to victory.

Nunes comes into UFC 250 as the heavy favorite, expected to extender her legacy as the greatest female fighter in the world, but Spencer could prove to be a wild card in this contest.