A broken back couldn’t keep Julianna Pena from fighting Amanda Nunes at UFC 289.
A busted rib, on the other hand, appeared to be too much for “The Venezuelan Vixen” to overcome. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion was recently pulled from her Amanda Nunes rubber match and replaced by fellow contender Irene Aldana for the pay-per-view (PPV) main event on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
“Hi. Wanted to give it a few days before I addressed the situation. I am out of my fight in Vancouver for UFC 289. I am absolutely gutted,” Pena wrote on Instagram. “You guys only see us preform on one night but I wish you guys could see the other side of what fighters have to go through on a daily basis. A fighter’s life is not an easy road but it’s one that lights my soul on fire. It’s my passion and I do it everyday with my whole heart. I give my everything every time I step into that Octagon and I wanted nothing more then to make this fight possible.”
Pena (11-5) shocked the world with her second-round submission win over Nunes (22-5) in the UFC 269 main event back in late 2021, but then failed to retain her title when the promotion granted an immediate rematch in the UFC 277 headliner the following July.
Both fighters have remained inactive since their second go-round.
“Going into a fight, you’re never 100 percent but in this case, the doctors intervened and I was forced to withdraw,” Pena continued. “I train so hard and as you can see from my pictures I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into this camp to show you guys how obsessed I am at improving myself. Unfortunately it’s going to have to wait. I trust in Gods plan and have faith everything will work out for the best. I give my sincerest apologies to UFC and Amanda Nunes. Wishing both Irene Aldana and Amanda Nunes a great fight, looking forward to fighting the winner to regain my belt! Oss.”
For more on the upcoming UFC 289 PPV card in Vancouver click here.