Dana White: Amanda Nunes 'The Best Ever' with Wins vs. Cyborg, Rousey and More
UFC President Dana White has hailed Amanda Nunes as "the best ever" following her stunning win over Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night.
Nunes knocked out her compatriot after just 51 seconds, clinching the UFC featherweight title in the process. The 30-year-old also holds the bantamweight belt, making her the first woman to hold two belts concurrently in UFC history.
After adding Cyborg's name to her list of victories over other high-profile stars like Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, White was full of praise for Nunes, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
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"She's the best ever," he said. "How can you deny it? That's what this fight was for. If you look at her resume and who she's beat, she's the best ever. You can't debate that."
Cyborg was only fighting in the UFC for the sixth time and is considered one of the all-time greats in MMA following her dominating performances in Invicta and Strikeforce. This was the first time she had been beaten since 2005, which was her first fight in professional MMA.
The UFC posted this clip of the finishing sequence from Nunes:
The new double champion posted the following snap of herself with her prizes, while Cyborg shared this reflective bulletin after the loss:
Going into the bout, Nunes was considered an underdog despite putting together a fantastic sequence of victories in recent years.
After a loss to Cat Zingano in September 2014, she hasn't looked back and clinched the bantamweight belt with an emphatic win over Tate in 2016, locking in a rear-naked choke in the first round.
Since then, she has defended the belt on three occasions, the first of which was against Rousey. In that contest at UFC 207, the Brazilian was a force of nature, picking off her opponent with brutal shots and finishing the fight after just 48 seconds.
And now she's the queen of the featherweight division too, and it's tough to argue with White's assessment of where Nunes ranks.
ESPN's Ariel Helwani also thinks she's the standout female fighter ever:
MMA journalist Shaheen Al-Shatti noted on how captivating a moment the knockout was:
Per ESPN's Chamatkar Sandhu, Cyborg made it clear she would be open to a rematch in the future.
Given the excitement of this occasion and the manner in which these two women have dominated their respective divisions, a second fight would definitely make sense. But for now, Nunes can revel in victory and the deserved acclaim that is coming her way.
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