Amanda Nunes entered the cage at UFC 277 with more on the line than just the bantamweight title she lost to Julianna Pena last December.
Ever since Nunes succumbed to a second-round rear-naked choke from Pena in one of the biggest title fight upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history at UFC 269 last December, the former two-division champ had endured questions about her commitment to fighting, about her training—particularly the decision to move from her longtime home, American Top Team, to her own gym—and even about her heart. In some ways, it was remarkable how much the aura of the sport’s most dominant fighter was dimmed in less than 10 minutes of cage time.