UFC 232 fight card primer: Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes

Bloodyelbow.com

In the co-main event of UFC 232 this Saturday night, Cris Cyborg (20-1, 1NC MMA, 5-0 UFC) will attempt to defend her featherweight title against current UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (16-4 MMA, 9-1 UFC). UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson II will air live from The Forum in Inglewood, California this Saturday night, December 29. The main card will show live on PPV beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT, with the Fox Sports 1 prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET and the Fight Pass prelims showing at 6:15 p.m. ET.

How do these two stack up?

Cyborg: 33 years old | 5’8” | 68” reach
Nunes: 31 years old | 5’8” | 69” reach

What have these two done recently?

Cyborg: W – Yana Kunitskaya (TKO) | W – Holly Holm (DEC) | W – Tonya Evinger (TKO)
Nunes: W – Raquel Pennington (TKO) | W – Valentina Shevchenko (DEC) | W – Ronda Rousey (TKO)

How did these two get here?

Since signing for the UFC in 2016, Cris Cyborg is yet to evidence any real weaknesses inside the octagon, and has so far racked up five wins inside the UFC. After winning two catchweight bouts before the women’s featherweight division was established, Cyborg won the vacant 145-pound title against Tonya Evinger in July 2017. She defended her belt after that against Holly Holm, in a fight that many thought would be closer than it was, Cyborg cruised past Yana Kunitskaya to defend her belt for the second time in March of this year.

After her only UFC loss to Cat Zingano in 2014, Nunes has won seven consecutive fights, including two victories over the recently crowned flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Winning the women’s bantamweight title against Miesha Tate at UFC 200, Nunes has gone on to defend the belt three times, most recently picking up a fifth round stoppage against Raquel Pennington in May. This fight with Cyborg at UFC 232 gives Nunes the chance to become the first female fighter in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously.