5 fighters who could overtake Amanda Nunes as the UFC female GOAT

Not so long ago, Amanda Nunes was everyone's choice as the UFC's female GOAT (greatest of all-time). However, following her loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 269, that spot may now be in jeopardy. There are certainly plenty of talented women snapping at her heels in an attempt to one day make that spot theirs.

The loss showed a chink in Nunes' armor that we haven't seen for years. It also opened the door for other fighters to stake their claim as the UFC's female GOAT. For starters, Nunes was knocked off the top spot in the women's pound-for-pound list for the first time since those rankings started.

Morning Report: Joe Rogan laments Amanda Nunes’ performance at UFC 269: ‘It’s inexcusable to be that tired in the second round’ mmafighting.com/2021/12/16/228… https://t.co/3CqEApNrLC

The wealth of talent in the women's roster may also be at an all-time high. There is no shortage of potential contenders to snatch the GOAT label away from Nunes. Here are five fighters who could overtake Amanda Nunes as the UFC female GOAT:

#5. Julianna Peña - UFC bantamweight champion

The main thing going for Julianna Peña's case is obviously her win over Amanda Nunes in her last fight. While she still has a long way to go to become the GOAT, she could have set herself up for a number of big fights that just might get her there.

"Mummy .. I told you you were going to win."

This moment between @VenezuelanVixen and her daughter after UFC 269 ❤️

📹 UFC Thrill and Agony https://t.co/luJ7cYsNaz

Peña's record currently stands at an unspectacular 11-4 but only has two losses in the octagon, coming at the hands of Germaine de Randamie and shevchenko" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Valentina Shevchenko. She will likely have to get revenge over these two opponents if she wants to cement her spot as the female GOAT.

However, there is a path for her to do so. Next up, Peña will likely take on Nunes in a rematch. Should she win that, it's not too unlikely that Valentina Shevchenko could be her next challenger.

If she were able to win that too and add some more title defenses, ideally including a rematch with de Randamie and maybe even a trilogy with Shevchenko, she would have a very strong case to be the female GOAT.