Robert Whittaker says UFC 289 was a special moment for Amanda Nunes.
Nunes was headlining the pay-per-view card in Vancouver, Canada as she was looking to defend her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana. Heading into the fight, Nunes was a sizeable betting favorite, but she dominated the scrap as she won all five rounds and had numerous 10-8 rounds.
After the win, Nunes retired from fighting, and Whittaker says UFC 289 cemented Nunes as the women’s combat sports GOAT.
Whittaker says UFC 289 was a ‘dominant performance’ for Nunes
“That hungry Amanda coming to state her claim, to stomp and to put a mark on the history books. It’s an iconic moment for Amanda because she did retire, she did retire after this fight,” Whittaker said on his podcast. “She is hands down the greatest women’s combat athlete the world has ever seen. She left no stone unturned, this fight Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana was exactly what we expect to see from Amanda Nunes which she provides just about every single time she steps in there. From starting bell to the finishing bell, dominant performance. She mixes up her punches really well, she a pace on the aggressiveness and honestly, you could see Amanda commanding the respect with her shot in such a way Irene became gunshy.”
Although many had Amanda Nunes as the GOAT before UFC 289, how easily she beat Irene Aldana helper further cement her case as Robert Whittaker. The Aussie also believes the fight shows how good Nunes is as she makes opponents gunshy and double-think everything they do in the fight.
With Amanda Nunes retiring, it’s uncertain who will fight for the vacant women’s bantamweight title. As for Robert Whittaker, he is set to return at UFC 290 against Dricus Du Plessis in a title eliminator bout. The winner is expected to face Israel Adesanya in Australia in September.
