Tag Archives: Amanda Nunes

Mayra Bueno Silva to Fight Raquel Pennington for Vacant UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title

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Mayra Bueno Silva will be vying for her first UFC title.

The 32-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will fight Raquel Pennington for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto, according to ESPN.

Mayra Bueno SilvaThe title was vacated by Amanda Nunes, regarded as the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time, in June when she retired following a win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

Bueno Silva (10-2-1, 1 NC) is unbeaten in four straight fights.

She stopped Holly Holm via submission in July, but the bout was overturned to a no contest and Bueno Silva was suspended 4½ months due to a failed drug test for a prescribed (but undisclosed) ADHD medication.

Bueno Silva, 32, is tied with Ronda Rousey for most submissions in division history (3).

Pennington (15-8) has won five straight. The Colorado native is coming off a split decision win over Ketlen Vieira in January.

Pennington, 35, has the second-most wins in division history (11) and is ESPN’s No. 1-ranked women’s bantamweight fighter.

The Pennington-Bueno Silva fight was first reported by Brazilian outlet AG Fight.

Lionel Messi Earns Three 2023 ESPYs Nods, Including One for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports

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Lionel Messi is one step closer to being heralded this year’s best athlete…

ESPN has revealed the nominees for its 2023 ESPYs, with the 36-year-old Argentine soccer star earning three nominations.

Lionel MessiMessi, who helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals and providing three assists, is nominated for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports. It’s his first nod in the category.

He’s also up for Best Championship Performance for the 2022 World Cup final, as well as Best Soccer Player for performance with the Argentina national team and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

But Messi isn’t the only Latinx nominee…

Seattle Mariners’ star player Julio Rodriguez has earned a nod in the Best Breakthrough Athlete category; Amanda Nunes is up for Best UFC Fighter; Jon Rahm is nominated in the Best Golfer category; and Carlos Alcaraz is up for Best Tennis Player.

The hardware will be handed out July 12 in Los Angeles, with ABC airing the ceremony live at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET.

Here are all the nominees for the 2023 ESPYs:

BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Lionel Messi, Argentina

BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
Iga Świątek, Tennis
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball
Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Novak Djokovic wins his 23rd Grand Slam title
LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record
Mikaela Shiffrin breaks the record for the most World Cup victories
Max Verstappen, Red Bull, set record for most wins in a season

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Leon Edwards, UFC – defeats Kamaru Usman to win UFC welterweight title
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets – 2023 NBA Finals MVP
Lionel Messi, Argentina – 2022 World Cup Final
Rose Zhang, LPGA – first woman in 72 years to win her first professional start.

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
Jon Jones, UFC
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut
Justin Verlander

BEST PLAY
Michael Block’s hole in one – Golf
Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the Century, NFL
Ally Lemos with the perfect corner to tie the National Championship game, NCAA
Trinity Thomas’ Perfect 10 to tie NCAA Record, NCAA

BEST TEAM
Denver Nuggets, NBA
Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA Football
Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
Louisiana State Tigers, NCAA Women’s Basketball
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
Vegas Golden Knights, NHL

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Zach Edey, Purdue Basketball
Duncan McGuire, Creighton Soccer
Brennan O’Neill, Duke Lacrosse
Caleb Williams, USC Football

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma Softball
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
Trinity Thomas, Florida Gators Gymnastics

BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Erica McKee, Sled Hockey Team
Zach Miller, Snowboarding
Aaron Pike, Wheelchair Racing & Cross-Country Skiing
Susannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing

BEST NFL PLAYER
Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

BEST MLB PLAYER
Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

BEST NHL PLAYER
Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
David Pastrňák, Boston Bruins
Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins

BEST NBA PLAYER
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

BEST WNBA PLAYER
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury
Candace Parker, Chicago Sky (Current Las Vegas Aces)
Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm (Current New York Liberty)
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

BEST DRIVER
Brittany Force, NHRA
Kyle Larson, NASCAR
Josef Newgarden, IndyCar
Max Verstappen, F1

BEST UFC FIGHTER
Leon Edwards
Jon Jones
Islam Makhachev
Amanda Nunes

BEST BOXER
Gervonta Davis
Devin Haney
Claressa Shields
Shakur Stevenson

BEST SOCCER PLAYER
Aitana Bonmatí, Spain/Barcelona
Erling Haaland, Norway/Manchester City
Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
Sophia Smith, USWNT/Portland Thorns

BEST GOLFER
Wyndham Clark
Nelly Korda
Jon Rahm
Scottie Scheffler

BEST TENNIS PLAYER
Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic
Aryna Sabalenka
Iga Świątek

Cris Cyborg Re-Signs with Bellator MMA

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Cris Cyborg is staying put…

Bellator MMA has announced that it has re-signed the 37-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist, one of the greatest women’s MMA fighters of all time, to a new, multi-fight contract.

Cris "Cyborg" JustinoCyborg had been a free agent since last summer, though she has remained the Bellator women’s featherweight champion. She competed in two boxing matches during her time out of contract, winning both.

While Cyborg returning to Bellator has always been the most likely scenario, she was entertaining other opportunities and even attended a PFL event in person recently.

PFL has been trying to make a huge fight between Cyborg and two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison for more than a year.

Cyborg re-signing with Bellator doesn’t necessarily completely harpoon that fight, because PFL has expressed a willingness to co-promote with Bellator to make it happen.

“After receiving multiple offers from several promotions, I’m very happy that I was able to come to terms with Bellator and remain the face of their women’s featherweight division,” Cyborg said in a statement. “Scott Coker is a promoter that I’ve worked with and respected for many years. He’s done so much to further women’s MMA and give us a platform to showcase our skills. When making this decision, it was important to me that I was signing with the organization that I felt had the biggest names and the top talent at 145 pounds for me to challenge myself against. There is no question that all the top female featherweights are signed with Bellator and I can’t wait to get back in there and defend my belt.”

Bellator did note in its news release that Cyborg re-signing sets her up for title defenses against Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, two former UFC title challengers who are undefeated since signing with the promotion.

Cyborg (26-2, 1 NC) has lost just once since her pro debut in 2005, a knockout defeat to UFC double champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 in December 2018. She lives and trains in California and has been Bellator women’s featherweight champion since 2020 and has four successful title defenses. Cyborg is the only fighter to ever win championships in four different major promotions: the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC.

ESPN has her ranked No. 4 pound-for-pound in its women’s MMA rankings.

Irene Aldana to Fight Raquel Pennington in Rematch at UFC Fight Night in May

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Irene Aldana is readying for a rematch…

The 35-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist will meet Raquel Pennington in a rematch on May 20 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas, with the next UFC women’s bantamweight No. 1 contender likely to be decided with that fight.

Irene AldanaAldana and Pennington fought in July 2019, with Pennington winning a split decision.

ESPN has Pennington ranked No. 3 and Aldana ranked No. 6 in the world at women’s bantamweight.

The champion in that weight class, Amanda Nunes, will defend her title in a trilogy fight with Julianna Peña at UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver.

The Pennington vs. Aldana winner will likely fight the victor in that bout.

Pennington (15-8) has won five straight. The Colorado native has not lost since a 2020 bout with former champ Holly Holm. Pennington, 34, has the most bouts in UFC women’s bantamweight history (16).

Aldana (14-6) has won two in a row and four of her past five. The Mexican-born fighter is coming off a knockout of Macy Chiasson at UFC 279 in September.

Aldana has won seven of her past nine fights overall.

Amanda Nunes Defeats Julianna Peña to Reclaim UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title

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It’s a case of sweet revenge for Amanda Nunes…

The 34-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist defeated Julianna Peña via a dominant unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-43) in the main event of UFC 277 on Saturday night at American Airlines Center.

Amanda NunesNunes had vowed to make changes in her game and get her belt back after shockingly losing it seven months ago to Peña.

With the victory, Nunes, the greatest women’s fighter in MMA history, reclaimed the UFC women’s bantamweight title she lost to Peña at UFC 269 in December.

“The lioness, if they don’t get the prey the first time, I set the trap and I know I’d get it the second time,” Nunes said in her postfight interview.

Nunes said this fight was all about “strategy” and that the key was her going southpaw. Then, when Peña got comfortable on the feet, Nunes said she started to go for the takedowns.

“The main thing was my southpaw,” Nunes said. “I know I was gonna catch her with that tonight. I knew she was not gonna be able to adjust to that. She’s not a striker. … She was so confused. I’m not very good yet with my southpaw. I told my coach, ‘I’m gonna see how I feel.’ I tried tonight, and I felt good.”

Nunes dropped Peña with a check right hook out of the southpaw stance several times in the early rounds. As the fight wore on, Nunes began using her wrestling to take Peña down over and over, then cut her up from top position with slicing elbows.

Peña had several bad cuts on her face after the fourth round. Nunes nearly had a rear-naked choke finish in the fifth, but Peña was incredibly tough and fought it off.

Nunes had moments where she might have been able to finish the fight but perhaps didn’t want to make the mistake she did in the first fight, where she got tired after trying to finish Peña in the first round.

“Julianna is tough as nails,” UFC president Dana White said. “Her will to win is second to none. She wanted to win. As dominant as Amanda was, and she was dominant tonight — I don’t think it was close in any way, shape or form; I thought it was a complete shutout — she still looked a little gun shy to me.

“She had Julianna hurt many times, had her on crazy legs many times and never really went in for the kill.”

After the first fight, Nunes left her longtime gym, American Top Team, and moved into a private facility she has dubbed Lioness Studio. She trained under coach Roger Krahl, who was in her corner for some of her biggest fights, like the knockout of Ronda Rousey.

“The best thing I did was make my gym,” Nunes said. “In my gym, I feel like I’m safe. I feel like I can grow and evolve.”

In the second round, Nunes knocked Peña down three times, setting the record for most knockdowns in a round ever among women in the UFC, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Overall, Nunes outlanded Peña 85-60 in significant strikes and took Peña down six times in eight attempts.

Nunes’ 15 UFC wins is the most among women in UFC history. This was her 10th title fight win, the most among women in UFC history and fifth best overall. Nunes is the first woman in the UFC to regain the bantamweight title after losing it.

Saturday’s fight was the 13th immediate rematch ever in the UFC after one fighter took the belt from another. Saturday marked just the third time in those instances that a fighter reclaimed the title. Randy Couture did it against Vitor Belfort in 2004 and Deiveson Figueiredo did it this past January over Brandon Moreno.

Judges Douglas Crosby and Sal D’Amato each scored the second round 10-8 for Nunes, while Crosby also scored the fifth 10-8 for Nunes. The other judge, Jacob Montalvo, did not score a 10-8 in any round.

Coming in, ESPN had Nunes ranked No. 2 and Peña ranked No. 4 on its pound-for-pound women’s MMA list. At bantamweight, Peña was No. 1 and Nunes was No. 2.

Nunes (22-5) was on a 12-fight winning streak before losing to Peña, with wins during that stretch over the likes of Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate and Holly Holm. The Brazilian slugger, who trains out of South Florida, is also the UFC women’s featherweight champion.

Nunes, 34, is the first UFC fighter to defend two titles in separate weight classes concurrently — and has seven title.

Ketlen Vieira Defeats Former UFC Champion Holly Hunt

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Ketlen Vieira is proving she’s a title contender…

The 30-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist improved to 3-1 in her past four fought contests on Saturday, as she outpointed former champion Holly Holm (14-6) in a five-round main event to make her a new contender for the UFC‘s women’s bantamweight division title.

Ketlen VieiraThe 135-pound fight was very close. Two judges scored it 48-47 for Vieira, while a third had it 48-47 for Holm.

The victory could very well place Vieira (13-2) next in line for a title shot.

Current champion Julianna Peña will defend her belt against Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 on July 30. That bout is a rematch of their shocking title fight in December, which Peña won via submission in the second round.

Vieira has built her title résumé off two former champions. Prior to Saturday’s win over Holm, she took out another former champ in Miesha Tate in November.

Holm is a Hall of Fame professional boxer, but it was Vieira’s hands that appeared to be more dangerous on Saturday. She found her distance with the straight right hand as the fight progressed, scoring on Holm at range — where Holm is usually strongest. Vieira’s success at range actually forced Holm to close distance, which Vieira used to her advantage at times by landing counter rights.

Holm’s best work actually came in the clinch, which she tried to apply throughout the fight. According to UFC Stats, she accumulated over 10 minutes of control time by holding Vieira against the fence, where she landed short knees and punches. She out-landed Vieira in total strikes 188 to 122, but many of those short shots along the fence did not carry much weight.

Holm did score one knockdown with a sidekick to Vieira’s body in the fourth round, and she landed a pair of powerful front kicks in the fifth. Vieira’s offense was just heavier, however. She also nearly submitted Holm in the second round with a standing rear-naked choke, after Holm got careless in a takedown attempt.

For Holm, the loss snaps a two-fight win streak. The Albuquerque native had been knocking on the door of her first title fight since 2019, when she suffered a first-round knockout to Nunes.

Ketlen Vieira Foils Miesha Tate’s Comeback with Unanimous Decision Win

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Ketlen Vieira has foiled Miesha Tate’s comeback…

The 30-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist defeated Tate, one of the most popular women’s fighters in MMA history, via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Ketlen Vieira

Vieira used her counterpunching and length to win the standup battle and bloody Tate badly in the fifth and final round.

“That’s what I’m here for — I’m here to fight the best,” Vieira said through an interpreter. “Respect my skills.”

ESPN had Vieira ranked No. 8 in the world at women’s bantamweight entering Saturday.

Tate is the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion who returned after a five-year layoff in July with a TKO win over Marion Reneau. With a victory, Tate was hoping to earn a title shot against old rival Amanda Nunes, but she will have to go back to the drawing board.

“I’ve always dreamed about being in a main event against a legend,” said Vieira. “To be able to live that moment and get a victory, I don’t have words to express.”

The fight had many close rounds. Vieira admitted she was hesitant early on. Tate was the aggressor and landed hard shots in the early rounds. Vieira, though, always seemed to have an answer on the counter. The first round was a tossup, with both women landing big right hands. In the second, Vieira started to get into more of a rhythm, landing combinations.

Vieira kept that momentum in the third round, landing a beautiful right uppercut-left hook combination several times. Tate rebounded in a solid fourth round, landing a hard right hand at the round’s outset and then a takedown later on. Vieira really got off again with her punching combos in the fifth round, blasting Tate and making her bloody with a big right hand. By the end of the fight, Tate had a swollen left eye, bloody nose and lumped up face.

“The real thing is about enjoying the journey,” Tate said. “This is just a moment in time, you guys. We all have moments in our life. … What else can I say? I get to go home and kiss my two kids. Life is great.”

Tate was transported to the hospital after the fight for a CT scan on her head and face, according to UFC.

Vieira said she will be in Las Vegas for 10 more days and would love to work with Tate in the gym while she is in town.

“I’d love to have the chance and opportunity to train with her. She’s a legend,” Vieira said. “I look up to her.”

Added Vieira: “Miesha Tate is a world champion. She’s one of the best fighters in the world.”

Vieira (12-2) came in having lost two of her past three fights, most recently a unanimous decision loss to Yana Kunitskaya in February. She is now 2-2 in her past four. The Brazil native was 10-0 prior to this recent stretch. Vieira, 30, owns career wins over Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.

Tate (19-8) returned from retirement July 17 with a third-round TKO win over Reneau — Tate’s first-ever KO/TKO in UFC. The Washington native, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, retired in November 2016 after back-to-back losses to Nunes and Raquel Pennington.

Only Nunes has more wins in the UFC women’s bantamweight division since 2016 than Vieira, who has six victories during that span, tied with Irene Aldana and Pennington.

Tate, 35, won the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 196 in March 2016 with a fifth-round submission win over Holly Holm and lost it to Nunes at UFC 200 four months later. “Cupcake” is also known for her well-publicized feud with Ronda Rousey, which included two grudge matches.

Cris Cyborg to Defend Bellator Featherweight Title Against Sinead Kavanagh

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Cris Cyborg is going on the defensive…

The 36-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist, one of Bellator’s top stars, will defend her belt next month.

Cris CyborgBellator president Scott Coker announced on The MMA Hour that Cyborg will defend her women’s featherweight title against Sinead Kavanagh on November 12 in Hollywood, Florida.

Cyborg (24-2, 1 NC) is one of the greatest women’s fighters in MMA history.

The Brazil native, who fights out of California, is 3-0 in Bellator, beating Julia Budd for the women’s featherweight title in January 2020.

Cyborg has lost just once since her pro debut in 2005, to UFC double champion Amanda Nunes.

Cyborg is the only MMA fighter to win titles in four major promotions: UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and Invicta FC.

Kavanagh (7-4) has won two in a row. The 35-year-old Ireland native, who trains out of SBG Ireland (Conor McGregor’s team in Dublin), is coming off a unanimous decision win over Katharina Lehner in October 2020.

Ketlen Viera to Fight Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate in October

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Ketlen Vieira is preparing for the main event…

The 3-0year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will fight former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is back in the main event.

Ketlen Viera

 

Viera and Tate, one of the most popular women’s MMA fighters ever, will headline a UFC Fight Night on October16 in Las Vegas, according to the UFC .

ESPN has Vieira ranked No. 8 in the world at women’s 135 pounds, and this is Tate’s chance to climb the divisional ladder again. “Cupcake” made her return from retirement after five years away with an impressive,third-round TKO over Marion Reneau in July.

Tate vs. Vieira had been targeted by the UFC for several weeks, but the announcement was pending Vieira signing the bout agreement, which happened Thursday, according to Vieira’s Instagram.

Tate (19-7) headlined UFC 200 in July 2016 against current women’s bantamweight and women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. The Washington native, who fights out of Las Vegas, stepped away from competition after a loss to Raquel Pennington four months after that, taking an executive position with ONE Championship in Singapore.

Tate,announced she’d be returning to the UFC last March — and was seeking a future chance to challenge for the title she lost to Nunes five years ago.

Vieira (11-2) has dropped two of her last three fights after starting her career 10-0. The Brazil native most recently lost to Yana Kunitskaya via unanimous decision in February. Vieira owns UFC wins over Cat Zingano, Sara McMann and Sijara Eubanks.

Amanda Nunes to Defend Title Against Julianna Pena in December

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Amanda Nunes is set to defend her title in December…

The 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist has been scheduled for her bantamweight title defense against Julianna Pena for UFC 269 on December 11, according to the UFC.

Amanda Nunes

Nunes (21-4) was supposed to face Pena (10-4) at UFC 265 earlier this month in Houston, but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. The UFC has not announced an official venue for the UFC 265 pay-per-view event, but it is likely to take place in Las Vegas.

Originally from Brazil, now fighting out of South Florida, Nunes is the UFC‘s 135- and 145-pound champion. ESPN ranks her the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world.

She has not fought since she defended her featherweight title against Megan Anderson in March. She is on a 12-fight win streak.

Pena, of Spokane, Washington, is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter reality series and holds a 6-2 overall record in the UFC. She earned a title shot by defeating Sara McMann via submission in January.