Amanda Nunes may earn the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports and Best MMA Fighter honors as she has been nominated in those categories at the 2021 ESPY Awards. Her nominations were announced on Wednesday afternoon and fan-voting has already begun.
In the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports category, Nunes is featured alongside fellow greats such as gymnast Simone Biles, tennis player Naomi Osaka and WBNA player Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm.
In the Best MMA Fighter category, Nunes is accompanied by past and present UFC champions such as former lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov, two-time women’s strawweight queen Rose Namajunas and newly crowned heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
Nunes was previously nominated for an ESPY award in 2019, which was the first time that a MMA-specific category had been added. Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier took home the award that year over Nunes, Henry Cejudo and Israel Adesanya.
Nunes, who is the current UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion, is on a 12-fight win streak with wins over notable names in both divisions like Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm. The two-division champion has successfully defended her titles on multiple occasions, with her most recent defense coming against featherweight contender Megan Anderson at UFC 259 in March. Her next title defense will be back in the bantamweight division against No. 6 ranked Julianna Peña at UFC 265.
The 2021 ESPYS will take place on Saturday, July 10 and broadcast live from The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in New York City beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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