UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Amanda “Lioness” Nunes posted another quick and emphatic victory tonight at UFC 259: “Blachowicz vs Adesanya” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nunes finished title challenger Megan Anderson with a reverse triangle straight armbar early in the first round.
In addition to Nunes’s latest successful title defence, UFC 259 featured a women’s strawweight bout on the preliminary card. Rising star Amanda Lemos made short work of former Invicta FC champ Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza, finishing with a barrage of punches in a brief and one-sided fight.
Nunes (21-4-0) traded kicks with Anderson (11-5-0) early in the fight and lunged forward with a right hand. She hurt Anderson with an overhand right soon after and continued to land punches until a dazed Anderson dove for her leg. Nunes initially stood over Anderson and landed punches, then took her back and trapped her in a reverse triangle choke. When Anderson refused to submit, Nunes added in a straight armbar on Anderson’s right arm and the challenger tapped out at the 2:03 mark of round one.
Tonight’s victory extended Nunes’s winning streak to 12, and she remains atop both the women’s featherweight and bantamweight divisions in the UFC. Her performance tonight was one of her most impressive to date, but it may also be her last at 145 pounds as the UFC struggles to find new contenders in a division that would likely have dissolved if not for Nunes’s continued commitment to remaining active as a double champion.
Earlier on the card, Lemos (9-1-1) soundly defeated Souza (14-3-0) in a bout that never appeared to be competitive. Lemos landed hard jabs and leg kicks right away, then backed Souza up with a one-two combination. She dropped Souza with a right hook and looked to finish with a guillotine choke on the ground, but the veteran Souza battled back to her feet. Souza dropped her again with a jab and followed up with punches on the ground that prompted referee Jason Herzog to wave off the fight at the 3:29 mark of round one.
Lemos has posted three straight wins inside the Octagon since suffering her lone career defeat against Leslie Smith at UFC Fight Night 113. She previously defeated Mizuki Inoue in August, and tonight’s win over Souza will likely elevate Lemos into a title contender’s bout later this year.
(Photo Credit: UFC)