Amanda Nunes knocked out Cris “Cyborg” Justino 51 seconds into the first round at UFC 232 on Saturday night, ending the featherweight champion’s 13-year unbeaten run with one of the most surprising victories in mixed martial arts history.
Jon Jones also reclaimed his light heavyweight title in his return from a 17-month cage absence, stopping Alexander Gustafsson with strikes on the ground in the third round.
Nunes, the UFC’s bantamweight champion, made history when she moved up 10 pounds to challenge Justino (20-2), widely considered the world’s greatest female fighter. Nunes is the third fighter in UFC history to hold two title belts simultaneously, joining Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier.
Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY
“I knew this was happening, I told you all,” Nunes said. “Cris is a great fighter, nothing but respect. It was an awesome opportunity to share the octagon with her.”
Nunes (17-4) was thought to be an undersized underdog, but she seized her second title belt by overwhelming her fellow Brazilian. Nunes buckled Justino’s knees in the opening seconds, and she eventually knocked down Justino twice.
She ended the fight spectacularly with an overhand right to the ear, putting Justino face-down on the canvas.
Just six days after the UFC moved the entire 232 card from Las Vegas to the famous Forum south of downtown Los Angeles, Jones (23-1, 1 no-contest) closed the show with a methodical dismantling of Gustafsson (18-5). The bout was a rematch of Jones’ toughest fight, a thrilling decision in 2013 over Gustafsson.
However, in Jones’ first fight since completing his second drug-related suspension, the star picked apart Gustafsson with kicks in the first two rounds. He got a takedown in the third and finished the fight with several brutal shots to Gustafsson’s head on the ground.
“It was always about being the champion again,” Jones said. “I’m just happy with my belt, and for now I want to go back to the gym and improve my game.”
The UFC made the extraordinary decision to move its show 280 miles to California to keep Jones on the card. The former champion tested positive for low levels of a banned steroid, but California regulatory officials did not consider the result serious enough to keep the long-troubled star out of the octagon, while Nevada’s commission did.
The 31-year-old Jones had fought only twice in the previous 47 months, losing an enormous chunk of his fighting prime due to his misbehavior. He held the UFC’s 205-pound title twice before, but had it stripped both times.
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