Amanda Lourenco Nunes is a Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist. Known as the GOAT of women's MMA, it’s not surprising that Nunes has accumulated impressive wealth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, her estimated net worth is $4 million. The Brazilian fighter made history by becoming the first female champion to hold both the bantamweight and featherweight titles at the same time, and the first UFC fighter to defend both belts while holding them simultaneously.
Nunes' career highlights include crushing triumphs over Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, and Ronda Rousey, all previous UFC women's bantamweight champions. She was practically unbeatable for years due to her power punching, technical striking, and well-rounded ground game.
Amanda Nunes's early life
Amanda Lourenço Nunes was born on May 30th, 1988, in the small town of Pojuca, Brazil. She was raised on the outskirts of Salvador, Bahia, by her mother following the split of her parents. Her mother and two sisters struggled financially during those early years, with her mother working multiple jobs to support the family.
Growing up, Nunes wanted to be a soccer player but was discouraged from pursuing a career as a fighter, as her family believed it was not a suitable path for a woman. Despite her family's disapproval, Amanda first started training with relatives. Her uncle, Jose Silva, was a Vale Tudo fighter, and her mother was a skilled boxer.
Her mother enrolled her in capoeira classes when she was five years old, and by the time she was seven, she was doing karate. At the age of 16, Nunes started her first Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes. At the age of 17, she moved to El Salvador to train at the well-respected Edson Carvalho Academy and was taught by Edson's brother, Ricardo. During this period, she trained in judo for the first time and earned the nickname "Leona," which translates to "lioness" in Portuguese.
Amanda Nunes's professional career
Amanda Nunes made her professional debut in 2008, fighting at Prime MMA Championship 2. Unfortunately, this ended in a defeat, as she was submitted by Ana Maria via armbar in the first round. But soon after, things got better, and Nunes won five fights in a row before moving to Strikeforce.
Nunes then moved to Invicta FC, where she faced fighters like Sarah D'Alelio and Milana Dudieva, winning and losing, respectively. In 2013, Amanda made her UFC debut at UFC 163, fighting and winning against Sheila Gaff. Further wins came against Germaine De Randamie, Shayna Baszler, Sarah McMann, and Valentina Shevchenko. However, she also lost against Cat Zingano. In 2016, she was given a title shot against Miesha Tate at UFC 200.
In 2016, she successfully defended her title against Ronda Rousey. Further successful title defenses followed, and she went up against Cris Cyborg for the Featherweight Championship. In 2021, she was expected to fight Julianna Pena, but due to COVID-19, she had to withdraw from it. In July 2022, Nunes reclaimed her bantamweight title, which she lost to Julianna Pena in UFC 269. A rematch took place at UFC 277. At UFC 289 in June 2023, Nunes defeated Irene Aldana via unanimous decision to successfully defend her bantamweight title.
She made history as the only fighter to retire while actively holding two UFC championship belts at the same time, positioning her legacy as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time.
Amanda Nunes's personal life and UFC earnings
Amanda nunes married to fellow UFC fighter Nina Nunes. In 2020, Nina gave birth to the couple’s first child.
At UFC 207, Nunes battled Ronda Rousey for a sum of $100,000, with an additional fight bonus of $100,000. In contrast, Rousey earned $3 million just for showing up. In 2020, it was revealed that Amanda Nunes was receiving higher payouts than many other fighters in the UFC, with a purse of $450,000 for defeating Felicia Spencer at the UFC 250 main event.