July 8, 2023,
Legends become so for a reason.
Their accomplishments echo for an eternity. As long as there is civilization, time will remember them.
Sometimes that can go to a person’s head.
The legendary singer Carly Simon, hit the nail on the head, singing about luminaries who think they are the brightest person in the room and always the center of attention. The song was titled, “You’re So Vain”.
“You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain (you're so vain)
I bet you think this song is about you
Don't you don't you?”
Sure they do Carly.
But you know what? Sometimes the song actually is about them. Or at least the story.
Completely.
In the UFC Women’s division, it seemed that the song was always about Amanda Nunes. The story too. She kept creating them. Stories that needed to be reported and heavily followed. Based upon that, can it be true?
Amanda has retired?
Please say it isn’t so.
On June 11, 2023, the sports and news leader ESPN reported, “The greatest fighter in the history of women's MMA put on one of the most dominant performances of her career on Saturday night then peeled off her gloves and set them down beside her two UFC championship belts -- the symbolic gesture of a fighter retiring.”
Even in victory and retirement, the song is about Amanda.
Though her 135-pound rule was temporarily interrupted by a submission loss to Julianna Peña a year and a half ago, Amanda regained the title seven months later by completely dominating the rematch.
Time for a drum roll.
Amanda is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist.
fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com grapplingstars.com MMAnytt - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2-wD3aXdg at 1:14 Wikipedia free use
She's most known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. She was ranked #1 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings at the time of her retirement.
Quite a story.
They should make a song out of it.
Widely regarded as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time, Ms. Nunes is the first woman to become a two-division UFC champion, and the sixth fighter to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously, after Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier.
She is also the first and only fighter to defend two UFC titles while holding both.
Her rise to stardom seemed inevitable.
Time to review her hardworking, humble beginnings.
Amanda’s uncle, José Silva, was a Vale Tudo fighter.
Vale Tudo in English means Everything Goes. It’s also known as No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States.
Brace yourself.
Vale Tudo is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few rules.
It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would eventually evolve into modern Mixed martial arts (MMA). Of note, for years "Vale Tudo" was used as a synonym for MMA in Brazil, but the term fell into disuse due to the emergence of stricter rules and the influence of the media to have a more "civilized" name.
It is now used to refer to an early, more rules-free stage of the modern sport.
Amanda’s mother Ivete, who herself regularly trained in boxing, was his corner person during his fights.
Amanda attended capoeira classes at age five, after her school teacher complained that she was too hyperactive in class. She started learning karate at age seven.
So, that’s how it all began.
And her young story continues.
At the age of 16, following her sister Vanessa's invitation to a dojo, she began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
At that time, she also got involved with boxing. Despite being the only woman at the gym, she soon started dominating her training partners in sparring.
The news of her incredible accomplishments start to spread far and wide.
After she had defeated all of her opposition, at age 17, she moved to Salvador to train at the Edson Carvalho academy under the tutelage of his brother, Ricardo Carvalho.
Incredibly impressive.
Well, back to the present.
A trilogy bout was scheduled against Julianna Peña on June 10, 2023, at UFC 289.
On May 2, 2023, it was announced that Ms. Peña had suffered broken ribs during training camp and would be unable to compete.
Irene Aldana agreed to replace Peña at the event.
Who is Irene Aldana?
Irene is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist.
She currently competes in the Women’s Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
She is impressive. As of January 17, 2023, she is #5 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.
Irene graduated from college with a degree in graphic design. During her college studies, she grew an interest in mixed martial arts and started training at local Lobo Gym.
What a great opportunity, which also blossomed from humble beginnings. To have the honor of fighting perhaps the greatest of all time in possibly Amanda’s last fight.
Now, Irene will always be remembered.
Amanda won the fight against Irene via a dominant unanimous decision, and quickly announced her retirement from active competition during the post-fight interview.
As you might guess, since she is the star of the story and the song is virtually always about her, there were a wide range of reactions to her retirement. Here is the biggest one.
As posted by bleacherreport.com, “Amanda Nunes retired following her victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on Saturday, and UFC's women's featherweight division might be going with her. UFC president Dana White said "probably yes" regarding the possibility of the dissolving the division altogether.”
That could have massive ramifications for the women left in the division.
Amanda’s legacy appears to have that much punching power.
With the greats, sometimes the song is actually about them.
Once she is gone, the song is no longer about her.
Who will fill the void?
For now, there is very little story left to tell.
Amanda was that great.
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO A.RICARDO-Shutterstock-photo-credit-fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com grapplingstars.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Nunes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vale_Tudo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Aldana
https://www.fciwomenswrestling2.com
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
