Amanda Nunes releases statement after COVID-19 test rules her out of UFC 265

UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes was due to face Julianna Pena at next weekend’s UFC 265, with her bantamweight crown on the line. However, ‘The Lioness’ will have to wait for a chance to pad her resume as the greatest ever women’s MMA fighter due to her testing positive for COVID-19.

After news of her removal from the event broke she released a statement via Twitter.

“We were more than ready for this fight,” she wrote. “Unfortunately shit happens. Stay tuned for a new date.”

With her comments she included a picture of her and her coach Conan Silveira, with her wife—UFC strawweight Nina Nunes—and daughter photo-bombing in the background.

Nunes hasn’t looked human since 2014, when she faded in a fight she was winning versus Cat Zingano and lost by TKO. Since then she has been unstoppable, winning 12 straight fight, claiming two titles and obliterating a who’s who of women’s MMA’s finest.

Among her notable wins are TKOs over Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, and Raquel Pennington and submissions over Miesha Tate and Megan Anderson. In that storied run she also has two wins over UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, though they were much closer affairs than most of her other contests.

Her run has also landed her a slew of UFC records including longest combined UFC title reign, most total and consecutive wins by a woman and most knockouts and stoppages in the women’s bantamweight division. She is also tied with Jon Jones for most wins over former or current UFC champions.

Nunes’ next challenger—Julianna Pena—holds a 10-4 record. She defeated Sara McMann by submission in January. Prior to that she lost by submission to Germaine de Randamie. She came to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate in 2013. She won that series after beating Jessica Rakoczy by TKO in the finale.