Nina Nunes debuts at flyweight, meets Cynthia Calvillo at UFC Fight Night in July

Nina Nunes is switching things up for her next fight. Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported on Thursday that Nunes will move up from strawweight…

By: Kristen King | 1 year ago
Nina Nunes debuts at flyweight, meets Cynthia Calvillo at UFC Fight Night in July
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Nina Nunes is switching things up for her next fight.

Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported on Thursday that Nunes will move up from strawweight to flyweight and meet Cynthia Calvillo at an upcoming UFC Fight Night scheduled for July 9 at a soon-to-be determined location and venue.

Nunes has suffered defeat in her past two fights. The 36-year-old dropped a unanimous decision to Tatiana Suarez at UFC 238 and was submitted by Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 23. In between those fights, Nunes got pregnant and welcomed a daughter with wife Amanda Nunes. Prior to that, she was on a four-fight win streak that included decisions over notable names such as Angela Hill, Randa Markos and Cláudia Gadelha.

Though Nunes has competed at 125 pounds before under the Invicta FC banner, this will be her first foray into the division since joining the UFC several years ago.

Calvillo was a staple of the strawweight division, earning wins over Joanne Wood [née Calderwood], Cortney Casey and Jessica Eye. However, repeated weight misses led to a return to flyweight, where she scored a decision over the aforementioned Eye at UFC Vegas 2 in 2020. Since then, the 34-year-old has yet to record another win, losing to Katlyn Chookagian, Jéssica Andrade and Andrea Lee in her most recent appearances.

Shortly after her loss to Lee, Calvillo announced a move down to 115 pounds again and was expected to welcome a returning Brianna Fortino [née Van Buren] to the Octagon at another UFC Fight Night in June. That was then canceled once Fortino withdrew for undisclosed reasons, per Alex Behunin of Cageside Press. The UFC sought out a replacement for Calvillo, who will stay at flyweight for now and fight Nunes.

With the addition of Nunes vs. Calvillo, the UFC Fight Night now has three confirmed fights. Here is the lineup:

  • Ronnie Lawrence vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
  • Antonina Shevchenko vs. Cortney Casey
  • Nina Nunes vs. Cynthia Calvillo
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About the author
Kristen King
Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.

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