LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Amanda Nunes speaks to the media during the UFC 213 Ultimate Media Day event at T-Mobile Arena on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

Amanda Nunes is underappreciated at best and one of the UFC’s biggest heels at worst, but can she turn that reputation around at UFC 215?

It’s not often that a UFC champion is called scared. Especially when that champion won and then defended her belt against the toughest competition that the women’s bantamweight division could provide at the time. But even though Amanda Nunes defeated both Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey, she hasn’t come close to either of them in popularity.

At best, the average fan is indifferent to her. Rousey had her fair share of critics who were happy when she lost, but it doesn’t look like all of those critics became fans of Nunes after she defended the belt against the former champion.

Miesha Tate, who Nunes defeated to win the belt in the first place, is now retired. But for the most part, her sizable fan base hasn’t considered Nunes when choosing which female fighter to cheer for now.

After UFC 214, where Nunes pulled out because of chronic sinusitis, her already shaky popularity took a major hit. Other champions post on social media and typically receive support from their fans in the comments. Whenever Nunes posts on Twitter, there’s comments about being ‘scared’.

Even in the buildup to UFC 214, Valentina Shevchenko was the more popular fighter. Shevchenko’s fan base was the noisier one on social media, and that fan base appeared to grow in the weeks leading up to the event.

As if Nunes had become the new Rousey, with neutral fans supporting whoever is fighting her at the moment.

It’s strange to see because Nunes has the makings of a popular champ. Her fighting style can be appreciated by dedicated and casual fans alike, and MMA fans usually love power punchers who can swarm their opponents. It’s especially rare to see someone in the women’s divisions with that style.

Her fights have been exciting, too. When she defeated Rousey, the finish was played on repeat as a highlight long after the fight was over. She also finished Miesha Tate, and when she defeated Shevchenko by decision in their first fight, it was an exciting ending.

One of the quickest ways for a champion to lose fans is by ‘ducking’ top contenders, but she hasn’t done that, either. She last defended the belt against the most dominant fighter in the division’s history, after all. When she pulled out at UFC 214, she didn’t try to get out of her fight with Shevchenko, and instead went along with the UFC’s plans to reschedule it for September.

So, if Nunes has an exciting style, exciting fights, and hasn’t avoided the top contenders in the division, why is there so much dislike for her?

It’s impossible to say for sure, but it might have to do with the way she rose to stardom in the first place. When she defeated Miesha Tate, she took down one of the most popular and respected champions that the UFC had at the time.

In women’s MMA, her fan base was the one that was second to Rousey’s, and her fans waited a long time for her to become champion.

Not long after she finally made it to the top, Nunes submitted her in the first round and effectively ended her career by taking the belt.

Ronda Rousey had the other large fan base in the women’s bantamweight division, but those fans are unlikely to root for Nunes after she knocked Rousey out in the first round and then ripped into her in the following interview.

Trash talk isn’t uncommon in the UFC, but at the same time, it doesn’t usually end well when rising stars go after the top fighters.

Even though Rousey had just lost her second straight fight, she still had just as many fans as any dominant champion at that point.

If Nunes wants to embrace the villain role, she doesn’t have to do anything, but if she wants to gain fans at UFC 215, she’s going to have to make up for the past and not repeat the same mistakes. Once again, her opponent is more popular than her despite having less recent success. Neutral fans will also be leaning towards Shevchenko, especially with all the talk about Nunes running from the fight at UFC 214.

She can’t anger another fan base if she wins like she did when she defeated Rousey. Some of Shevchenko’s newer fans are the same people that she upset with her comments about Rousey, and the only way that she’s going to win them over is by doing something different.

If she defends the belt but shows respect to her opponent, maybe even by apologizing for pulling out of the last fight at the last minute, neutral fans are more likely to see her good qualities instead of what her critics have to say about her. If she loses, this applies doubly.

Losing obviously isn’t the best outcome for her, but fans like seeing ‘cocky’ fighters get humbled, and a loss might set things straight for them.

On the other hand, a win goes a long way in dismissing the ‘scared’ argument. It’s hard to argue that someone is scared of a fighter that they’ve defeated twice, so that’s something that will go away with a win, no matter how Nunes acts afterwards.

It would also help her if the UFC 215 fight is as exciting as her first with Shevchenko. Being entertaining in the octagon always helps, no matter what people think of a fighter outside of it, and it’s part of the reason why Jon Jones has remained popular despite getting into various types of trouble.

Lastly, one way that Nunes can raise her popularity is by promoting herself. Fighters can’t rely on the UFC to build a brand for them, and that’s exactly what Nunes is doing. She doesn’t have her own merchandise shop running independently of the UFC one, and while she is active on Twitter, she doesn’t do as much as some of the other popular fighters.

Chase Sherman, for example, gained a large following through being funny on Twitter and giving his takes on all of the latest UFC news. Demetrius Johnson, Max Holloway, and Angela Hill have gained fans through video gaming and Twitch streaming. Paige Vanzant hasn’t had a ton of success lately, but she’s still popular on social media and her life outside of the octagon has kept her relevant.

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Gaining fans takes time, but champions generally have the easiest time doing so. It just takes some effort and a plan, and if it’s what Nunes decides she wants to do, she’ll likely have success in it. After all, bantamweight is considered the most prestigious of the three current women’s divisions, and the success of Ronda Rousey only a couple of years ago shows that the sky is the limit when it comes to popularity in that division.