After an easy first-round submission win over Megan Anderson at UFC 259, Amanda Nunes is left with few contenders skilled enough to face her in the octagon. Many fight fans wonder, again, what’s next for Nunes?

1. When Is Amanda Nunes Fighting Next Season
2. When Is Amanda Nunes Fighting Next

Amanda Nunes currently defends titles in both featherweight and bantamweight divisions, the only fighter in history to achieve this honor. Nunes is considered to be one of the greatest fighters in MMA history and possibly the greatest female fighter in the sport.

Pena Calls Out Nunes

Amanda Nunes Is the Consensus Greatest Female Fighter of All Time. If one of the women above receives the next shot against The Lioness, they will be fighting the number one pound-for-pound female. Amanda Nunes (defeated Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision) Amanda Nunes, right, dominated Felicia Spencer in the main event of UFC 250. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC. Who should be next: Megan. — Amanda Nunes (@AmandaLeoa) January 24, 2021 Ansaroff was referring to Pena's loss to Valentina Shevchenko on Jan. Shevchenko would fight Nunes for the title in her next fight at UFC.

UFC president Dana White says he is interested in having Amanda Nunes fight Julianna Pena next for the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Nunes got through Megan Anderson with relative ease at UFC 259, as she tapped her opponent out for her second defense of the UFC women’s featherweight title. UFC 259 results: Full fight coverage of the women’s Featherweight championship pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event match tonight (Sat., March 6, 2021) between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson from.

Julianna Pena called out Amanda Nunes after her submission win over Sara McMann at UFC 257. Nunes ignored the call-out since she was defending her bantamweight title at that time. Pena called out Nunes yet again after her defeat against Anderson.

Now that Amanda Nunes is expected to return to her original weight of 135-pounds, a Pena vs. Nunes matchup could very well be in the works. Nunes seemed uninterested in the fight but told reporters after her win that she would never turn down a fight and would go in the octagon with anyone Dana White put her in with.

After UFC 259, UFC President Dana White told reporters that Juliana Pena had been texting him all night and that, “Yeah. It could happen” when asked about the bout. Pena was scheduled to fight Holly Holm, but we understand that Holm has had to withdraw from this fight.

Fight me @Amanda_Leoa !

— Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) March 7, 2021

What’s Next for Nunes in the UFC?

Juliana Pena was slated to fight Holly Holm on May 8. Dana White stated that he wanted to get Nunes back in the ring quickly since the Anderson bout was an easy win. Since Pena seems to be the only possible contender who can stand with Nunes, look for the two to battle it out in the octagon very soon.

Possible Nunes Retirement?

Don’t count on Amanda Nunes retiring from the sport any time soon. She told reporters after UFC 259 that she felt great and loved what she does. She further stated that she feels like she gets better with age.

Without question, Nunes is where she loves to be. Every fighter who steps into the octagon brings their skills, but some bring a little more heart than others. Nunes has the heart of a fighter and certainly belongs in the UFC.

While Nunes hunted of retirement earlier in the year, will likely see her in the octagon for many more fights. Nunes and her wife, Nina Ansaroff, welcomed home a daughter in September. This changed Nunes’ outlook on life and at the time, she told reporters she was unsure what the future would hold.

It seems quite certain now that the octagon is part of Nunes’s future.

The Baddest Woman on Earth

Nunes earned the moniker “Baddest Woman on Earth” since joining the UFC. During her professional career, Nunes has won honors including:

• #1 Pound for Pound Female MMA Fighter
• #5 MMA Fighter of the Year 2018
• #1 Best Featherweight
• #5 Fighter of the Year 2016
• #34 Top Fan Favorite MMA Fighter
• #50 Greatest MMA Striker of All Time
• #13 Greatest MMA Fighter of All Time

Nunes is widely considered one of the most successful fighters in MMA history and is one of only three fighters ever to hold titles in two weight classes at the same time. What’s next for Nunes when she has achieved so much in her professional career already?

In December, YouTuber Jake Paul called out Conor McGregor. Dana White quickly shut down the idea of that match on social media. Nunes responded by tweeting “I’m in.” Paul said he would never fight Nunes, to which White responded “She would put you in a coma, dude.” Do not look for a bout between Jake Paul and Amanda Nunes (or, anyone in the UFC, for that matter) any time soon.

What’s Next for Nunes in the UFC?

Juliana Pena was slated to fight Holly Holm on May 8. That fight has since been cancelled. Dana White stated that he wanted to get Nunes back in the ring quickly since the Anderson bout was an easy win. Since Pena seems to be the only possible contender who can stand with Nunes, look for the two to battle it out in the octagon very soon.

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With another night of action in the rearview mirror at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 259‘s key winning and losing fighters outside the main event.

Dominick Cruz

Jose Aldo

Should fight: Jose Aldo
Why they should fight: Former UFC and WEC champ Dominick Cruz got his hand raised for the first time since UFC 199 in June 2016 when he edged out Casey Kenney by split decision in a competitive fight.

Cruz showed a lot of the tools in his game that made him such an effective bantamweight for so long. There may be a slight drop-off to what he once was, but if he can stay healthy and active, there’s no reason to think “The Dominator” doesn’t belong fighting at the highest level.

A matchup will fellow ex-UFC and WEC featherweight titleholder Aldo (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) fits the bill. It’s something we could only dream of years ago when they were ruling over their respective weight classes, but now that Aldo has seemingly committed to the 135-pound division long term, the timing is right.

Aldo is fresh off beating Marlon Vera in a similar surging contender vs. legend matchup as we just saw with Cruz and Kenney. Since they both overcame the challenges, it’s a good time to pair them up, but you never know when the chance could slip away for good.

Aleksandar Rakic

Magomed Ankalaev

Should fight: Magomed Ankalaev
Why they should fight: Aleksandar Rakic thinks he deserves a light heavyweight title shot after beating Thiago Santos by unanimous decision in an important fight for the weight class. Unfortunately for him, the nature of his performance and timing appear to be two enemies.

Jan Blachowicz defending the title in the UFC 259 main event was a good thing for all the existing contenders. The champ said he wants a roughly six-month layoff before getting back in the octagon, at which point he’s expected to put the belt on the line against Glover Teixeira. It remains to be seen how long the winner of that fight could take to turn around, which means Rakic could be looking at minimum of nine months off if he’s adamant about waiting.

When Is Amanda Nunes Fighting Next Season

It’s also possible that Jiri Prochazka could slide past him in the queue if he beats Dominick Reyes in their main event May 1, especially if it’s exciting.

Rakic’s past two wins against Santos and Anthony Smith have been unspectacular, and he might need one more to prove his point. In terms of which is available, surging contender Ankalaev (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) might be the best fit.

Yes, Ankalaev would be a step down for Rakic in the rankings, but if he could snatch the Russian’s winning streak, he would have a near-bulletproof argument to challenge for the strap.

Islam Makhachev

Rafael dos Anjos

Should fight: Rafael dos Anjos
Why they should fight: The post-fight callout from Islam Makhachev directed toward Tony Ferguson was perfect. He said he wants to do it on behalf of his friend Khabib Nurmagomedov since that fight never materialized, which is all good stuff from his perspective. Is it going to happen, though? It feels unlikely.

Makhachev (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) submitted Drew Dober in the third round of their lightweight bout to extend his UFC winning streak to seven consecutive fights. All respect to him for aiming high for a name like Ferguson, but it makes little sense for “El Cucuy” to take that one right now unless he wants to put himself at serious risk of a third consecutive loss.

That doesn’t mean hope is lost for Makhachev in terms of a high-profile fight, though. And he should be looking to reschedule a bout with former UFC champ dos Anjos (31-13 MMA, 19-11 UFC) after their matchup was scratched twice in 2020.

Dos Anjos is coming off a victory over Paul Felder in his return to 155 pounds in November, and given his history of taking any fight the UFC puts in front of him, he’d likely sign on the dotted line for Makhachev a third time.

Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan

Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling

Should fight: Each other
Why they should fight: This one is a no-brainer.

Petr Yan became the first fighter in UFC history to lose to a title by disqualification when he landed an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling in the fourth round of their bantamweight championship contest. Regardless of any opinions to the contrary, the right decision was made in the moment by all involved. The only option now is a rematch.

UFC president Dana White has already said he wants to book Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) vs. Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) again as soon as possible, and both men appear all in on it, too. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for Sterling to recover from whatever head trauma he endured from the strike before a date is finalized.

Megan Anderson

Cris Cyborg

Should fight: A Bellator featherweight
Why they should fight: This is not a “you’re not good enough to be in the UFC, go to Bellator” type of argument for Megan Anderson after she got washed out in her first UFC title opportunity. It’s more about it being a better fit at this stage of her career.

UFC 259 marked the final fight on Anderson’s UFC contract. She didn’t finalize a new deal before challenging Amanda Nunes for the belt, which could mean she either bet big on herself believing in an upset, or the UFC brass forecasted this result and thought her value wouldn’t be there beyond this fight.

With a record six appearances in the women’s featherweight division, Anderson (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has fought everyone and done about everything she can to stay afloat in the UFC’s most neglected weight class. It’s been a frustrating burden for her, and now she can free herself of it.

Bellator, as we know, has shown far greater commitment to its 145-pound division. Anderson would have multiple fresh matchups waiting for her in Bellator, and champ Cris Cyborg is a fight that eluded her in the UFC. At this stage, it just seems like the better fit.

Amanda Nunes

Julianna Pena

Should fight: Julianna Pena
Why they should fight: The epic run of Amanda Nunes went through Anderson with ease as she recorded her second title defense of the women’s featherweight belt, becoming the first in UFC history to now have multiple title defenses in two divisions.

Unless a radical shift occurs, there’s no one out there who can prove to be a challenge to the women’s MMA GOAT. It’s best to just keep feeding Nunes (21-4 MMA, 14-1 UFC) fights and sit back and witness greatness as it’s happening in real time, but the problem is, we’re starting to run out of fights.

UFC boss White said post-fight at UFC 259 that, due to the quickness of Nunes’ first-round submission win over Anderson, he’s looking to turn “The Lioness” around in short order with a defense of her women’s bantamweight title. And he hinted Pena (10-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) as the probable opponent.

Pena is one of the few highly ranked names who has yet to share the octagon with Nunes. “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner was supposed to face Holly Holm on May 8 in a potential title eliminator, but Holm suffered an injury and pulled out. That may have been the best scenario for Pena, because she could be moved right into the title shot.

When Is Amanda Nunes Fighting Next

Is there anything that leads us to believe Pena could pose any type of real threat to Nunes? Not currently, but that’s the position we’re in with Nunes’ level of dominance.