LOS ANGELES -- With a flurry of devastating power shots, Amanda Nunes took an impossibly deeper dive into the history books by knocking out Cris "Cyborg" Justino in 51 seconds on Saturday. Yet it was the shocking manner in which she accomplished it that may have won the UFC's first female two-division champion something more.

Nunes (17-4), who remains in the midst of her physical prime at age 30, seemed to finally capture the hearts of MMA fans by how violently she demolished Justino (20-2, 1 NC), the reigning "baddest woman on the planet." In the process, by handing the legendary pioneer her first defeat since her pro debut in 2005, Nunes may have provided UFC with its next big star worth investing in.

Admittedly, it was a process that probably took longer than it should've. Despite a dominant eight-fight win streak and victories over current or former UFC champions Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko (twice) and Germane de Randamie, it took until Nunes cemented herself as the greatest fighter in women's MMA history for her to truly get the shine she deserves.

On a night when the eyes of mainstream sports fans were glued to UFC 232 because of the star power of Jon Jones' return and the drug-testing controversy which followed him into his rematch with Alexander Gustafsson, it was Nunes who stole the show in the UFC's first women's superfight of its kind between reigning champions.

"This is the moment that I waited for to make history and be happy with myself and be happy with what I am capable of," Nunes said during the post-fight press conference. "I am happy, that's the only quote that I have right now. I was so ready, so ready tonight. Nothing was going to stop me in what I wanted to do."

Throughout the exit from the sport of Rousey, the UFC's first female star, and the inability to find consistent opponents for Justino, Nunes was there all along under the promotion's nose. She played her role as the B-side well in successful pay-per-view headlining roles opposite Rousey and Tate, but struggled on her own in a pair of A-side attempts, including a UFC 224 card against Raquel Pennington in May that moved a reported (and paltry) 85,000 buys.

Yet the long road to finally getting what she deserved was consistent with Nunes' evolution as a fighter, rebounding from a 2014 TKO defeat against Cat Zingano, in which her lack of cardio was exposed, to become the well-rounded and dangerous fighter she is today. A big part of Nunes' success was her constant hunger to want to prove herself against the very best in the world.

That certainly didn't change in the manner in which secured an all-Brazilian showdown against Justino, during a time when no one else was getting in line. Nunes revealed late Saturday that it was one year ago after Justino's five-round decision win over Holly Holm at UFC 219 that she sent a text to UFC president Dana White.

"I texted direct to Dana White that I wanted this fight and to make this happen for me, please," Nunes said. "And he texted me back that he would make this happen for me. I said, 'Let me know, I need some time because I need to get ready. I'm very small right now at 135. But give me some weight and I'm going to be strong and take that belt, I'm 100 percent sure.'"

When finally given the chance, Nunes followed her gameplan perfectly and succeeded by exposing Justino's love to exchange recklessly -- a flaw that isn't easily exposed because of how insanely hard she punches.

"When she connected a couple of punches, I said, 'I'm going to walk through her now.' Cris is a great champion and I respect her a lot but tonight I knew I was going to be the one," Nunes said. "My coach told me that when I hit her the first time, it would make her crazy and want to come get me. And that's what happened. We trained for that over and over with the right hand because we knew that was going to happen."

Nunes, who is engaged to strawweight contender Nina Ansaroff, has an intriguing back story that could probably be better sold by UFC as an ambassador in the LGBT community. She has also improved her command of English by leaps and bounds.

A betting underdog coming in, Nunes defied the odds inside the cage in a similar manner in which she has done in her steady rise to stardom. She was never as explosive as Justino or had the same crossover look as Rousey. But she has now violently knocked out both of them, each in less than a minute.

Yes, Nunes really is the female G.O.A.T., despite how short of a history women have had in the sport's biggest promotion. Her resume is that strong. But just as importantly, "The Lioness" may have kickstarted a run as a legitimate attraction that a fighter of her success and style deserves.

For complete results from UFC 232, please click here.