It’s always good to revisit the moments when history was created like many NBA fans look back at the Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers 2004 Christmas Day Game, where Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant faced off as opponents for the first time. Similarly, on December 29th, 2018, Amanda Nunes shocked the world with her knockout of Cris Cyborg. And now, as it was an iconic moment, Shaq revisited and shared the UFC 232 fight on his Instagram.
5 years back, Amanda Nunes made history at UFC 232 against Cris Cyborg. She became the first women fighter to earn two division belts simultaneously. Not only did this settle the debate about who is more dominant, ending Cyborg’s 21-fight winning streak, but Nunes achieving Conor McGregor’s feat had a big impact on her legacy. Now, as it has been 5 years since this milestone, the NBA superstar shared it on his Instagram story. Check it out below.
For those who don’t know, this fight is considered the greatest ever in the women’s division. While ‘The Lioness’ was already the bantamweight champion and showcased her class by defeating big superstars like Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko. But in this match Cyborg came to defend her featherweight belt but failed to do so, as within one minute into the fight, Nunes outclassed Cyborg with a KO victory.
As O’Neal is a passionate UFC fan and has attended some live events. He understands the significance of Nunes’ victory. He revisited the match and, with his Instagram story, reminded fans of this day. Meanwhile, to date, many fans of ‘The Lioness’ want to see a rematch between Nunes and Cyborg. However, it is unlikely to happen.
Why did the rematch between Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg not happen?
There are many rematches that UFC fans wished for but didn’t get, from Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor to others. Similarly, the Nunes vs. Cyborg matchup is something that fans have long desired, but it didn’t take place. It’s not that they didn’t want a rematch; but Cyborg left the UFC in 2019. She got signed with Bellator, so the fans didn’t get the rematch.
When Nunes hung up her gloves, there was no ray of hope left for fans still hopeful for the matchup. Indeed, seeing them fight again would have been really interesting and a significant event in the world of MMA.
