A lack of fight IQ is what lost Amanda Nunes a potential win at UFC 334

For Amanda Nunes, UFC 334 was meant to have been her successful return to the division she had once ruled with an iron fist. She intended to recapture the women's bantamweight belt, defeating a former teammate in Kayla Harrison in the process. Unfortunately, she was handed a fourth-round submission loss that had as much to do with her perplexing decision-making as it did Harrison's skills on the mat.

Amanda Nunes had a major lapse in judgment

Early in round one, it seemed like Amanda Nunes was on her way to winning. Her advantage on the feet was obvious. Her power, length, and shot selection were giving Kayla Harrison fits, and the champion, whose striking mechanics were stiff, was very uncomfortable. However, after Harrison managed to secure takedowns and trap Nunes on the ground, even transitioning to a crucifix from where she landed ground-and-pound until the round ended, the dynamics of the fight changed, just not in the way they usually do. Whenever a striker gets taken down and dominated by a grappler, the striker subsequently does their best to avoid any more gappling.

The opposite happened with Nunes.

Instead, 'The Lioness,' as if determined to prove a point, decided to force the grappling. In round two, she tried very hard to get a takedown, which only led to a brief moment of control. Harrison soon worked her way back to her feet, and Nunes latched onto her with a rear-bodylock, holding Harrison against the fence. It was almost like she had forgotten that Harrison is a two-time Olympic judo champion. The decision ultimately cost her the round, because it allowed Harrison to grab her wrist on the inside across her own hips, then tug on Nunes' arm to yank her torso toward the ground, while using her outside leg to trip her. Harrison landed in the kesa gatame position in side control, and kept Nunes there, landing more ground-and-pound.

Come round three, Nunes returned to her striking by stinging Harrison with jabs and front kicks from range. But it didn't take long for her to start grappling again. This time, it came from reversing a clinch attempt by Harrison, which ended with Nunes tripping her and landing on top. Soon Harrison worked her way back to her feet, but Nunes managed to take her down again and even take her back. However, in yet another moment of questionable fight IQ, she didn't lock in a body triangle to control the champion's posture. It was only once Harrison had started turning into her that Nunes went for the body triangle. By then, it was too late and Harrison had fully turned to get on top of her.

From there, Nunes was, again, unable to get back to her feet and ate more ground-and-pound, including an elbow that split her open. Exhausted heading into round four, she had moments on the feet, but had dropped two rounds foolishly trying to grapple with a superior grappler. So, the next time she threw a front kick, it was slower than before. Harrison quickly caught the kick, and as Nunes tried to spin out of her grip, the champ held onto her leg, raised it to upset her balance, then followed her to the ground to pounce with a very quick rear-naked choke. Nunes, who isn't known for her grit, didn't fight the choke and tapped almost as soon as Harrison sank it in.

It's possible that Harrison would have won the fight without Nunes sticking to one of the most boneheaded gameplans in women's bantamweight title history, but 'The Lioness' only made things significantly more difficult for herself. She remains the greatest women's fighter of all time, but she now has a loss to a rival, and given Harrison's struggles cutting weight to 135 pounds, a rematch is unlikely unless it's at women's featherweight, which no longer exists in the UFC. So, she may not even be able to avenge her loss. A loss that's very much on her.