Josiane Nunes
Josiane Nunes is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA fighter since 2013, she has competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Nunes started her professional MMA career in 2013 and amassed a record of 7–1 prior to signing with the UFC.Ultimate Fighting Championship
Nunes was scheduled to face Zarah Fairn on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum. Fairn weighed in at 147 pounds, eight pounds over the 139-pound catchweight limit. The bout against Nunes was canceled due to the weight discrepancy after Nunes weighed in at 136 pounds.Making her UFC debut, Nunes faced Bea Malecki at UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum on August 21, 2021. She won the bout via knockout in round one. This win earned her a Performance of the Night award.
Nunes was scheduled to face Wu Yanan on February 26, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green. However, Wu was pulled from the fight for undisclosed reasons and she was replaced by promotional newcomer Jennifer Gonzalez. In turn, Gonzalez was released from UFC one week ahead of the event for undisclosed reasons. She was replaced by promotional newcomer Ramona Pascual. Nunes won the bout by unanimous decision. In April 2022, she reached No. 8 in World Women's Featherweight rankings according to Fight Matrix.
The match between Nunes and Fairn was rescheduled for January 21, 2023, at UFC 283. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Nunes faced Chelsea Chandler on March 16, 2024, at UFC [Fight Night 239] in what was originally scheduled to be a bantamweight bout. At the weigh-in, Chelsea weighed in at 137 pounds, one pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Chandler was fined 20% of her purse which went to Nunes. Nunes lost the bout by unanimous decision.
Nunes faced Jacqueline Cavalcanti on August 24, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 62. She lost the fight by split decision.
Nunes faced Priscila Cachoeira on March 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 254. She lost the fight by knockout via an uppercut in the first round.