Josiane Nunes

Josiane Nunes is a 31-year-old Brazilian bantamweight who has established herself as one of the UFC's most explosive strikers, boasting seven knockout victories and a striking style rooted in Muay Thai. Born in Curitiba, Nunes turned professional in 2013 and compiled a 7-1 record before joining the UFC in August 2021, where she immediately made an impact with a dominant first-round knockout of Bea Malecki that earned her a Performance of the Night bonus. That early success hinted at a prospect on the rise, and she sustained momentum through 2022 and 2023 with consecutive decision victories and even cracked the world rankings at No. 8 in the featherweight division.

Nunes fights with relentless aggression, landing an average of 5.65 significant strikes per minute with devastating accuracy, and the vast majority of her output comes from the standing position where her Muay Thai foundation shines. Her finishing ability is her calling card: she has converted seven of her ten UFC wins via knockout or TKO, with three of those coming in the opening round. However, her recent trajectory has stalled considerably. She is currently on a three-fight losing streak, having dropped unanimous and split decisions to Chelsea Chandler and Jacqueline Cavalcanti in 2024, followed by a crushing first-round knockout loss to Priscila Cachoeira in March 2025. While her overall UFC record remains solid at 10-4, these losses against increasingly formidable competition have raised questions about whether her power-based approach will hold up against the elite bantamweight tier.