We know commentator reactions are a regular thing these days, but this was not a regular upset, and it wasn’t a regular reaction either!
Say what you will about Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan’s technical abilities as combat sports commentators, but you can’t deny the two have a massive passion for mixed martial arts (MMA). There’s few out there that will get as hyped as these two do for big fights. Throw them together, and you have a PPV recipe for seven hours of giddy excitement.
UFC 269 was no different: when the big moments happened, “DC” and Rogan freaked out, and there’s few bigger moments than the co-main event when massive underdog Juliana Pena defeated long-time double champ and women’s G.O.A.T., Amanda Nunes, in the second round of their 135-pound title fight (watch highlights here).
Watch a video replay of the moment here care of SportsCenter:
These reactions to Julianna Pena’s win over Amanda Nunes @espnmma #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/z14Zrp5Xp7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 12, 2021
And of course the .GIF if you’re looking for the condensed version:
Can you believe what you’re seeing?!? Juliana Pena is the new women’s bantamweight champ! #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/1vmD6yQb1n
— MMA mania (@mmamania) December 12, 2021
Our apologies to Jon Anik, who we don’t mean to leave out … he’s just on a slightly different level, keeping the business rolling and continuing his play-by-play duties even as Rogan and Cormier scream and holler and generally lose their minds. That’s the reason he makes the big bucks: a UFO could land in the Octagon and Anik would remember to say it’s brought to you by Nemiroff Vodka.
Will this particular reaction shot go viral like the one from UFC 248 in March 2020 when Beneil Dariush beat Drakkar Klose in a wild back-and-forth brawl? Probably not, because that was a classic:
The @beneildariush knockout had @dc_mma falling into @joerogan‘s lap #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/QFd2g5Derz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 8, 2020
But, Juliana Pena beating Amanda Nunes will certainly be more remembered than Dariush vs. Klose as one of the biggest — if not THE biggest — upset in UFC history.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 269: “Oliveira vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.