Scouting Report: Amanda Nunes

Lev PisarskyJun 09, 2023

Amanda Nunes

Born: May 30, 1988 (Age: 35) in Pojuca, Brazil
Division: Women’s Bantamweight
Height: 5’8”
Reach: 69”
Record: 22-5 (15-2 UFC)
Association: American Top Team
Stage of Career: Post-Prime

Summary: While she achieved a higher level of ability than any other female fighter in history, Nunes is now past her peak. This manifests itself in slightly slower hands and flawed cardio, as fighting too intensely for just the first round can result in her gassing by the second. See the first Julianna Pena fight as proof. Even fighting at a fairly slow, reserved pace in the rematch, Nunes appeared to barely have enough energy and looked tired near the end. However, even with the “Lioness” past her prime, it remains unclear where she falls in relation to the rest of the division; she is not only the best striker but also the best grappler at 135 pounds. Nunes still throws accurate, powerful shots from either hand, especially her outstanding right cross, left hook and looping right—all of which can produce a knockout. She also has stout leg kicks and a dangerous head kick at her disposal. In terms of grappling, Nunes is an excellent wrestler, particularly in the clinch, where she has proven quite strong and features an array of takedowns. While she can win fights through repeated takedowns alone, she can potentially end them with ground-and-pound or submissions when given too much space to operate. With that said, Nunes’ cardio issues leave her vulnerable in grappling exchanges. The strategy many employ against her: Pursue a toe-to-toe battle, avoid getting knocked out inside the first round and then make your move once she shows signs of fatigue.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Slightly above average.
• Jab: Decent, though she does not use it much and chooses instead to prioritiz power punches.
• Cross: Technical, accurate and carries genuine knockout power.
• Left Hook: Another technical, accurate and sudden shot that can result in a finish.
• Overhand Right: Does not throw on per se but instead employs a looping right to get around the guard. It is one of her best weapons and has proven ridiculously accurate.
• Uppercuts: Rarely uses them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Loves throwing power punches in bunches.
• Favorite Combination(s): No clear preference, but she excels at pairing her right cross with the left hook in either order, which is tremendously dangerous.
• Leg Kicks: Technical and powerful, though she can telegraph them at times.
• Body Kicks: The roundhouse variant is potent, though she rarely uses it. Her front kick is surprisingly poor, a bit slow, improperly thrown and fairly harmless.
• Head Kicks: Lack some speed, but they are technical and powerful, along with being sudden and accurate. She times them especially well, as was the case in her knockout of Holly Holm.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.

Nunes focuses primarily on power punches. She has true knockout capabilities in both hands—a practically unheard-of quality in women’s MMA—and she is tremendously accurate in delivering those blows. Her hands are slower than they were at her peak, but they are still faster than average. She has three main punches—a right cross, a left hook and a looping right—she calls upon, and they have led to numerous finishes. Without knowing which hand is being used or the trajectory of the punch, opponents often run into serious trouble, especially since Nunes prefers to throw shots in multiples and does so in unpredictable fashion. She features stout leg kicks and would be well served by utilizing them more. Nunes can also unleash a hellacious head kick.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: A big, powerful and intimidating bantamweight.
• Technique: She has an array of trips, high-crotch doubles and even a harai goshi in her arsenal.
• Knees: While accurate and impactful, they are not a major weapon.
• Elbows: Does not throw them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Sound.

While her knees are solid, the biggest threat Nunes poses in the clinch comes from her takedowns. She is quite powerful and features an array of ways to get an opponent to the canvas, either through judo or wrestling.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Looked strong while repeatedly taking down de Randamie in their rematch, especially as she came forward. She sometimes reaches too much for the double-leg without properly driving forward.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Gets the majority of takedowns at close range through trips, high-crotch doubles or even a harai goshi.
• Takedown Defense: She has given up takedowns against the likes of Pena and Raquel Pennington and can be caught off-guard, but she easily defends weaker attempts.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Made great strides since early in her career.
• Submissions: She excels at finishing off opponents who are already stunned, like Miesha Tate, or those who are poor on the ground, like Megan Anderson. Otherwise, Nunes does not pose much of a threat nowadays.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: When she finds herself on her back, Nunes is often completely fatigued. She was finished there by Pena and Cat Zingano. The results would likely be different if she had a full tank of gas with which to work.
• Top control: Nunes can sometimes posture up too much with her ground-and-pound, allowing opponents to simply stand up. However, she normally exerts heavy pressure.
• Ground-and-Pound: She can be absolutely vicious and finish opponents if given enough separation, but she can also be tied up, at which point she struggles to inflict much offense.

So long as she has the energy to do it, Nunes is the best overall grappler in the women’s bantamweight division. She is a solid wrestler from a shot, though she tends to reach a little too much, but she is excellent inside the clinch, where few opponents can resist her. On top, she can potentially finish with brutal ground-and-pound if she gets enough space. However, she can also be grabbed and tied up. Nunes can execute submissions against weaker grapplers or those she has hurt with her strikes. Defensively, she can be taken down, but she is normally terrific at getting back to her feet. When she is on the bottom for any length of time, it is because she is gassed, and in that case, Nunes almost always finds herself trouble.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Still powerful and dynamic.
• Cardio: A definite weakness. If Nunes overexerts herself too much in the first round, she can become visibly fatigued as early as Round 2.
• Chin: She has shown the ability to take multiple shots, with few ill effects.
• Recuperative Powers: At up to par.
• Intelligence: She has improved tremendously over her career and has often fought smart to win when tired. Nunes has proven quite accomplished at exploiting the weaknesses of her opponents.