Stepping up a division, bantamweight queen Nunes prevailed in the battle of the Brazilians with a huge first-round KO win after a ferocious display of punching power against Cyborg.

Nunes landed a huge right hand amid a barrage of blows that finished the fight and handed Nunes a major upset against Cyborg, who had gone over a decade undefeated heading into the bout.

The highly-anticipated match-up for Cyborg’s featherweight belt was also touted as a contest for the status of the greatest female MMA fighter of all time.

Cyborg, unbeaten in 20 fights since losing her debut bout in 2005, was facing a woman in bantamweight queen Nunes who was on a seven-fight win streak and bidding to be crowned the first female UFC champion in two divisions.

The pair of notorious strikers lived up to their reputation from the outset, both going at it with heavy hand shots early on.

But it was Nunes who landed the decisive blows, rocking Cyborg several times before landing a massive overhead right which dazed Cyborg and caused the referee to step in.  

The fight had faced the disruption of being moved from Las Vegas to Inglewood, California, after headliner Jon Jones returned an abnormal drugs test.

Nunes showed little ill-effect from the disruption though as she plowed through her opponent in less than a minute.

Despite actress Halle Berry supporting from the sidelines, there was no Hollywood script for Cyborg as she relinquished her title and long-time winning streak to Nunes - as well as her claims to be the female GOAT.   

'The Lioness' moves her win streak to eight and adds Cyborg's scalp to a list that includes Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. 

For Cyborg, 33, previously seen as invincible, a reset will be needed as she suffered he first defeat since 2005 and slipped to a record of 20-2 overall.