As the UFC’s first female double champion, Amanda Nunes is a star in the making, UFC president Dana White said Saturday night.
Throughout her women’s bantamweight reign, the UFC has been criticized for its inability to market Amanda Nunes. She holds marquee wins over women’s MMA pioneers and ex-champions Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, is the promotion’s first openly gay champion, and has been at the top of some major cards, including the landmark UFC 200 in July 2016. Overall, however, Nunes hasn’t resonated very well with the fans. Her most recent fight before Saturday (a title defense against Raquel Pennington at UFC 224 in May) drew less than 100,000 pay-per-view buys.