UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington - Predictions and Picks

#3 Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine De Randamie

Amanda Nunes is the best female fighter in MMA history

Currently the champion in both the Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions in the UFC, Amanda Nunes is probably the greatest female fighter in MMA history at this stage. Her record speaks for itself; she has wins over Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and Valentina Shevchenko, and she hasn’t lost since 2014.

Unfortunately, with such greatness comes a slight issue; Nunes now has a dearth of viable contenders, and so she’s faced here with De Randamie, who already succumbed to a TKO against ‘The Lioness’ back in 2013. Sure, she’s on a five-fight winning streak, but the truth is that ‘The Iron Lady’ hasn’t really developed as a fighter since then – she’s still an excellent kickboxer with sharp strikes, but while she’s solid in the clinch, there’s still a ton of questions around her ground game.

That means that unless Nunes decides to get drawn into the Dutchwoman’s game – a point-fighting kickboxing bout – then she’s got far more ways to win. Nunes is a physical beast at 135lbs and will likely hold a big strength advantage even over De Randamie, who’s a big Bantamweight in her own right. She throws strikes with insane power, and is also a terrifying grappler, particularly from the top position.

Nunes’s great weakness in the past has been her cardio; she gassed against Cat Zingano after dominating the early rounds, which led to her TKO loss, and she also struggled to keep pace against Shevchenko, almost giving both fights away despite coming away with the decision both times.

Luckily for her in this fight, De Randamie isn’t known for pushing a fast pace; in fact, she tends to lull her opponents into a slow-paced fight, meaning she hasn’t really made for many exciting fights in the UFC. Even if Nunes’ cardio isn’t on point, then, it’s hard to see ‘The Iron Lady’ forcing her to gas out.

I could easily see ‘The Lioness’ coming out and swarming De Randamie for another early finish, but that’d be risky – if she gets too wild she could easily eat a heavy counter, and GDR can knock opponents out, as Aspen Ladd found out. With that in mind I suspect Nunes will instead look to secure a takedown, put the Dutchwoman on her back, and smash her until she either gives up a TKO or submission. I’ll go with a repeat of their first fight.

The Pick: Nunes via second round TKO