Amanda Nunes Defeats Holly Holm Via TKO to Retain UFC Bantamweight Title

Amanda Nunes continued her reign of dominance over the women's bantamweight division with a first-round TKO over Holly Holm in the co-main event of UFC 239 in Las Vegas. 

The Lioness employed a patient strategy to start the round, working out the timing of Holm with feints. As she settled in and got comfortable, she landed a perfect head kick that ended the night early for the former champion. 

Nunes and Holm engaged in a slow start. Holm mostly threw leg kicks from distance as she looked to keep the fight at range, while Nunes actually looked for a takedown early:

Unable to work Holm to the ground, Nunes started doing what she does best:throwing heavy strikes. Holm threw another lead leg kick and was promptly met with the head kick that put the fight away. 

The win makes Nunes undoubtedly the best champion in the division's history:

The win is Nunes' fourth successful defense of her belt in the 135-pound division. Three of those four defenses have now come against former division champions. 

The run has sparked effusive praise for her utter dominance in the sport:

She recently became a double champ with her shocking win over Cris Cyborg her last time out. It's a win that she hopes to have the opportunity to run back after beating Holm. 

"I think this is the fight to make," Nunes said, per Dave Doyle and Dan Morgan of MMAjunkie. "145 is bad right now—nobody in that division. Cyborg is always the most dominating woman on the planet if [she didn't lose to me]. That's how it was, and she thinks she wants to prove something, but she knows she's going to lose again. But I feel like she should make [the rematch]."

A rematch might be the best option for Nunes at this point. She's knocking off contenders at an alarming rate in her native bantamweight division. And as she points out, featherweight is a division that doesn't have a whole lot going for it. 

Nunes continues to prove that she's the best fighter in all of women's MMA. The biggest challenge moving forward might not be hers, but the UFC's in trying to find compelling matchups for the Lioness.