Amanda Nunes expected to defend both belts according to Dan Lambert
Amanda Nunes had a chance to make history at UFC 232. She moved up in weight to take on Cris Cyborg. If Nunes could shock the world and defeat Cyborg, she would be the first-ever women’s champ-champ in UFC history. Ultimately, that is what happened as Nunes knocked out Cyborg in just 51 seconds to become the new UFC’s featherweight champion.
Now, however, the question is lingering of what belt will she defend. Obviously, the women’s featherweight division is not a particularly strong one, with only Cyborg and Megan Anderson viable title contenders. And, at bantamweight, Nunes doesn’t have a ton of options either for her to fight. With that, American Top Team founder, Dan Lambert expects Nunes to defend both belts.
“I know in some of the deeper divisions they have, it’s impossible to be a champ-champ,” Lambert told MMAjunkie Radio. “How’s [Daniel Cormier] going to defend it against the best in the world at heavyweight and the best in the world at light heavyweight at the same time? It’s kind of impossible. But there’s not quite as many – I mean, obviously, the featherweight division, they don’t even have rankings out there. How many people do they even have there? So it may be possible for her to keep both.”
“The divisions aren’t quite as deep,” he added. “It’s not necessarily that as important for a champion to defend their title ‘X’ number of times in a year in those two divisions, I think. I don’t see why she can’t keep them.”
It is really up to the UFC of what they want to do. They could, realistically, get rid of the women’s featherweight division, given the fact Cyborg’s contract is up in March. If that is the case, Nunes would then have to defend her belt against some of the top contenders in Germain de Randamie, or Holly Holm among others.
The hope for Lambert is the UFC will really start to promote Nunes for her next fight and beyond.
“The pop that I heard when she was running around that ring with those two belts on her shoulders like she stole them off Conor, it rocked the place,” he said. “I’d really like to see it. I think the UFC is going to try to get behind her, I think she’s getting better every fight she has. I think she’s going to be a dominant champion in both divisions, and people like dominance. People like dominating fighters, so I’d love to see it.”
