How hard does Amanda Nunes hit? Brutal power of UFC champion explained by Meisha Tate, Holly Holm and Cat Zingano
Amanda Nunes returns to action on Saturday night looking to cement her status as the greatest women's MMA fighter in history.
The Brazilian will defend her featherweight world title at UFC 250 against Felicia Spencer at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Although the lack of a crowd and the unfamiliar setting will undoubtedly cause some stupefaction, many expect to see normal service resumed once 'The Lioness' goes to work.
The first two-division champion in women's UFC history, Nunes is considered by many to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, regardless of gender.
Her victories over Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey were so brutal and dominant, the two fighters were never the same again.
The 32-year-old trains at American Top Team in Florida and is a complete fighter, but her striking is what really sets her part.
Speaking to , several of her former foes revealed just how hard the defending bantamweight and featherweight champion really hits.
Miesha Tate (lost via first-round submission at UFC 200)
"It was the first time that I would say I experienced that, where I was trying to fight through being extremely rocked," Tate said. "And she just kept the pressure and she kept hitting me. I was trying to recover. I felt like one of those Marvel video game characters with the life bar.
"When you're playing the game and the life bar is trying to build, but you keep getting hit and it keeps getting smaller.
"I just remember being really surprised at how powerful her punches were. She knocked out Julia Budd earlier in her career and it looked so effortless.
"It almost looked like a weird punch that landed at a weird time. That's the thing that has really amazed me since I fought her and watching her since: She doesn't look like she's trying so hard with her striking.
"She looks relatively effortless. It's just the way she connects, the placing, the timing. Everything.
She's made to do it -- she's really made to do it. She's got a falcon-like wingspan and her physique just really allows for a lot of power to be delivered when she intends to.
"And you can't really tell when that is. She doesn't make it look like that punch is that much harder than the rest of them.
"I'm telling you, it's even in her jab. Her jabs are nasty. I think those were the first punches that started to rock me a little bit. I can't remember anybody really rocking me with a jab."
Holly Holm (lost via first round TKO at UFC 239)
"She is one of the bigger fighters, especially at 135 pounds. She's confident.
"Any fighter that confident I always fear more than anyone else. She's diverse. Everybody knows her for her power, but she's also got scrambles on the ground. So, she's very well-rounded. It's like, man, I could be in a situation here or here or here.
"It's not like you're only watching out for one thing. I think that's what makes her kind of a scary fighter to face. She's confident for a reason - because she's winning.
"I felt like honestly in the fight my mindset was like, 'Holly, why are you being hesitant? Just go.' There's an opening there. Instead of going, I was hesitant, and then I got kicked.
"That's what I remember about the fight. I think it was me taking too long to feel it out, rather than just go. Any time you throw anything, there's also a chance of a counter, too, so you want it to be clean. I let myself think too much instead of acting and letting it go.
"I don't remember the kick that led to the finish, but I remember as soon as I hit my butt I saw the ref and was like to myself, 'No, stand up, keep going.' I wasn't knocked out, but I was definitely flashed.
"I remember the whole fight before, and I remember as soon as I hit my butt I remember trying to get up and feeling my legs a little off. And thinking I need to move around.
"But the fight was already over."
Cat Zingano (beat Nunes via third-round TKO at UFC 178)
"I just remember her hits. I've always trained with guys. I remember always thinking with the small guys and the small girls, anybody at 145 pounds or under, it always seemed like such a rare thing to see a fight go to a knockout.
"It was always crazy endurance and always so much movement and you can see great jiu-jitsu, great wrestling, great speed, all of that.
"But I had not ever experienced getting hit hard enough to feel or see anything threatening to my consciousness. And I do remember a couple of Nunes' hits. Like damn, that one had some heat on it. I was thinking I was hit a lot harder than I've been hit by a girl before.
"I didn't know how many she had of those in her. I was like, how many does she have and how many of those can I take?
"I know I hit hard, too. Like huh, there's another one of me out there. We're the same size and there's knockout power -- that's cool.
"Obviously not cool when you're wondering whether it's gonna f****** get you or not. I was a little shocked. Like dang, that was a heavy hit. There was a few in a row and I remember getting hit and seeing like the stars and birds from the cartoons."