#2. UFC featherweight champion Amanda Nunes (2018 – Present)
Since her historic win at UFC 232, Amanda Nunes has been regarded as one of the greatest female fighters of all time. She has earned that reputation with her phenomenal performances inside the octagon, especially as women’s featherweight champion. Nunes’ current reign has lasted 1150 days and is continuing.
‘Lioness’ took advantage of an opportunity when she challenged Cris Cyborg in 2019. She wasn’t fazed by the aura of invincibility that Cyborg had and turned the fight into a slugfest. It was a successful strategy as she overwhelmed Cyborg with a flurry of haymakers and made history. She became the promotion’s first female two-division champion with the title win.
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Nunes has since made two title defenses with minimal. First, she defeated Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 50-44, 50-44, and 50-45. She retained her title a second time when she submitted Megan Anderson with a triangle armbar in the first round.
#1. Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (2016 – 2021)
Despite not setting a record for title defenses, Nunes’ women’s bantamweight title reign is still the most impressive in UFC history. She submitted Miesha Tate with a rear-naked choke to become champion in 2016 and held the title until 2021.
During her five year reign, ‘Lioness’ retained the title five times and held it for a total of 1981 days. What made the title reign so impressive is that four of the defenses came against former or current champions. She defeated former bantamweight champions Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm, former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, and current flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Unfortunately for Nunes, her title loss was just as significant as her reign. She lost the title to Julianna Pena in perhaps the biggest upset in the promotion’s history. ‘Lioness’ was heavily favored, but ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ managed to exhaust the champion and submitted her in the second round at UFC 269.