Nina Nunes (; born December 3, 1985) is an American former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who last competed in the women's flyweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Background

Nunes was born and raised in Weston, Florida. Her maternal grandparents descend from North Macedonia. Nunes started practicing Taekwondo at the age of six. She wrestled while at Lake Region High School. She began training in mixed martial arts in 2009 as a way to lose weight and to help keep in shape following a motorcycle accident.

Mixed martial arts career

Nunes made her professional debut in 2010 competing in regional promotions, and amassed a record of 5–3 before joining

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

Invicta FC

Nunes made her promotional debut against Munah Holland on December 7, 2013, at Invicta FC 7. Nunes won the fight via TKO in the third round and earned the ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus award.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nunes made her debut in the

(UFC) against Juliana Lima on November 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 56. Nunes lost the fight via unanimous decision. Nunes was expected to face

Rose Namajunas Rose Gertrude Namajunas (born June 29, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and is a former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight ...

on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187. Nunes missed weight on her first attempt at the weigh-ins, coming in 4 lbs overweight at 120 lbs. After having made no attempts to cut further, she was fined 20 percent of her fight purse, which went to Namajunas. However, on the day of the event, Nunes was pulled out of the bout by UFC doctors after contracting a case of the flu. As a result, Namajunas was pulled from the event entirely. Nunes next faced

Justine Kish Svetlana Nasibulina (born 13 April 1988), known professionally by her ring name Justine Kish, is an American mixed martial artist that competes in the Flyweight division. A professional since 2010, she has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...

UFC 195 ''UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event held on January 2, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to feature a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between then-und ...

on January 2, 2016. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Nunes faced Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger at UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn on January 15, 2017. She won the fight via submission in the third round. Nunes faced Angela Hill at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis on November 11, 2017. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Nunes faced Randa Markos on July 28, 2018, at UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Nunes faced

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight (MMA), Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha ...

on December 8, 2018, at

UFC 231 ''UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between M ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Nunes faced Tatiana Suarez on June 8, 2019, at UFC 238. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. On October 10, 2019, Nunes announced that she would put her mixed martial arts career on hold in order to attempt to have her first child. The attempts were successful as in March 2020, her wife Amanda Nunes announced that the couple is expecting their first child, to be born later that year. Nina Nunes gave birth to a daughter in September 2020. Nunes faced

Mackenzie Dern Mackenzie Lynne Dern (born March 24, 1993) is an American and Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner currently competing in the women's Strawweight (MMA), Strawweight division of the U ...

on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC 2. She lost the bout via first round armbar. Nunes was scheduled to face

Amanda Lemos Amanda Oliveira de Lemos (born May 22, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of April 15, 2025, she is #4 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings, an ...

on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 199. However, Nunes was removed from the bout for undisclosed reason and she was replaced by Angela Hill.

Move up to flyweight division

Nunes was scheduled to face Cynthia Calvillo in a flyweight bout on July 9, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 39. However, the day of the event, Nunes withdrew due to illness and the bout was initially cancelled, but eventually rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 41 on August 13, 2022. Nunes won the fight via split decision, and she announced her retirement after the fight.

Personal life

Nunes is married to retired UFC fighter Amanda Nunes, the former UFC Women's Bantamweight and Featherweight champion. The couple welcomed a daughter on September 24, 2020. In April 2021 she began using the last name Nunes within the UFC. Her April 10 fight against Mackenzie Dern was her first fight under her new last name.

Championships and accomplishments

**UFC.com Awards ***2018: Ranked #9 Upset of the Year *

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Munah Holland

Mixed martial arts record

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Uberlândia Uberlândia () is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. It is the second largest city in the state of Minas Gerais after the state capital Belo Horizonte. Its population in 2020 was 699,097, making it the si ...

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Hankinson, North Dakota Hankinson is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 921 at the 2020 census. Hankinson was founded in 1886. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office has been ...

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Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who most recently competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the fo ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nunes, Nina 1985 births American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Sportspeople from Weston, Florida Mixed martial artists from Florida Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female taekwondo practitioners American people of Macedonian descent LGBTQ mixed martial artists LGBTQ people from Florida American LGBTQ sportspeople Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters LGBTQ Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners LGBTQ taekwondo practitioners 21st-century American women