Four years ago today, Amanda Nunes shocked the MMA world by knocking out Cris Cyborg
On this day four years ago, Amanda Nunes sent the crowd into pandemonium when she not only beat but knocked out Cris Cyborg and became the first and only women's UFC fighter to hold gold in two divisions simultaneously.
'The Lioness' was on the verge of being considered the greatest female fighter of all time and managed to cement that achievement after her win against her fellow Brazilian. Prior to the win, the champion defended her bantamweight strap three times against Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Raquel Pennington.
A 1-minute clip was posted on social media to celebrate Amanda Nunes' knockout of Cris Cyborg, with the event unfolding as the co-main event of UFC 232 on December 29, 2018.
Four years ago today, Amanda Nunes shocked the MMA world by knocking out Cris Cyborg #UFC232 https://t.co/NOoUjn40GZ
Before being knocked out, Cyborg was on a 21-fight unbeaten run, having not lost in the sport since her debut over a decade earlier. Despite being outclassed, the legendary fighter has been angling for a rematch and to this day is still pushing for something to happen between the two.
The South American has gone on to find success elsewhere since her release from the UFC, winning five fights outside of the promotion and capturing the Bellator women's featherweight title in the process.
Cris Cyborg is still considered one of the greatest female athletes to ever compete in mixed martial arts, but until she rematches and defeats Nunes, she is likely always going to be recognized as second best.
Amanda Nunes' career following her knockout win over Cris Cyborg
After propelling herself to the top of the women's MMA mountain with her victory over Cris Cyborg, Amanda Nunes didn't slow down and further strengthened her claim as being one of the greatest of all time, regardless of gender.
Directly following UFC 232, the knockout artist scored a TKO finish over Holly Holm, earned back-to-back decision wins over Germaine de Randamie and Felicia Spencer, and earned a brilliant submission over Megan Anderson.
As the promotion began running out of top challengers for the seemingly unbeatable star, up stepped Julianna Pena. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' had been calling for the matchup for years and finally got her wish when they were scheduled to meet in the headliner of UFC 269 last year.
To everyone's surprise, Nunes was submitted in the second round after looking visibly fatigued. Despite losing, the 34-year-old didn't let it affect her mindset and even managed to redeem herself by beating Pena the following year.