A golden era comes to an end as the only UFC double champion, Amanda Nunes (23-5), decides to retire at UFC 289. Inside the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, Nunes took on Irene Aldana(14-7). She defended her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship in the main event of the recently concluded PPV. And, in the typical Amanda Nunes fashion, “The Lioness” dominated Aldana and secured the win via a unanimous decision.
However, it all could have been different as the Mexican fighter landed a huge overhand punch that rocked Nunes to close out the first round. But, from that point onward, the Brazilian fighter took control of the contest and rag-dolled Aldana at times. Fans can guess the kind of dominance that Nunes had from the judges’ scorecards.
#ANDSTILL QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE 🏆🦁🏆@Amanda_Leoa defeats Irene Aldana by decision to defend her bantamweight title!
[ #UFC289 | B2YB @Diablo ] pic.twitter.com/2J6WmNQ8f7
— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2023
Two judges scored the fight 50-44 respectively and one judge had the bout 50-43. In terms of significant strikes, Nunes landed 142 strikes, while Aldana landed just 41 strikes in 5 rounds. On top of that, the champ got 6 takedowns and had 7:00 minutes of control time on the ground. The stats just prove that Nunes had a once-in-a-lifetime performance and she decided to hang it up on a high note.
Amanda Nunes retires from MMA after UFC 289 with a $4 million net worth
Amanda Nunes walked out of the cage as soon as the fight ended. Her first course of action was to implant a kiss on Jon Anik’s forehead. She then made her way to UFC President Dana White and whispered something in his ear. It made White signal to his production truck. It was easy to guess where the whole situation was heading and things became very apparent when Nunes slammed her titles on the ground and asked for scissors to take off her gloves.
The Lioness goes out on top 🏆🦁🏆
What a career from @Amanda_Leoa! #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/CMAu54DFbF
— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2023
At the time of her retirement speech, Nunes also made a reference to Anderson Silva. With the win over Irene Aldana, she equaled Silva’s record of 11 title fight wins in the UFC. She is joint 3rd in the list behind Jon Jones (15 wins), Canada’s own Georges St-Pierre (13 wins), and Demetrious Johnson (12 wins). Along with Silva, Nunes is the only Brazilian fighter in the top 5 of the list.
However, not just in terms of accolades, Nunes has done quite well for herself financially as well. As per MMA Salaries, she has earned a total of $8,362,000 in her fighting career. Nunes’ highest purse came when she faced off against Ronda Rousey at UFC 207.
Rousey herself reportedly earned only $4.3 million during her fighting career. For the Rousey fight, Nunes reportedly earned $2,140,000. While she may be walking away, this will not be the last time fans will see her near the UFC Octagon.
Her wife, Nina Nunes, is currently pregnant with their second child Hazel Ann. After the fight, Jon Anik revealed that Nina may return to fighting once she delivers their second child, despite retiring earlier. If that happens, Amanda Nunes will definitely be there in Nina Nunes’ corner. However, even if that does not happen, Amanda got to retire with a $1,032,000 payday on her last Octagon outing. Not many UFC fighters can claim that either.
