Tag: Julianna Pena

Amanda Nunes Reveals What Moment Changed The Fight At UFC 269

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has revealed what moment allowed Julianna Peña to take over in the UFC 269 co-main event. 2022 is representing a fresh challenge for Nunes. For the first time since 2015, she’s entered the new year off the back of a defeat. While she was coming off a loss…

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Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has revealed what moment allowed Julianna Peña to take over in the UFC 269 co-main event.

2022 is representing a fresh challenge for Nunes. For the first time since 2015, she’s entered the new year off the back of a defeat. While she was coming off a loss to then-fellow contender Cat Zingano seven years ago, this time around she’s looking to rebound after having one of two belts she held last year snatched from her grasp.

After extending her two-division rule with a dominant first-round submission over Megan Anderson last March, Nunes was tasked with returning to 135 pounds to defend her bantamweight strap for the first time since 2019. In her way of completing another year with champ-champ status and extending her win streak to 13 was Peña.

While most expected “The Venzuelan Vixen” to represent a small hurdle for the “Lioness,” she turned out to be a 10-foot wall that stood firm in the face of the consensus female GOAT.

After surviving the opening round, Peña turned the intensity up in the second. When she appeared to tire and hurt Nunes on the feet, the UFC’s first female TUF winner dragged the Brazilian to the ground and submitted her.

Nunes: Peña Was The First Opponent To Catch Me On The Feet

Two months removed since the memorable upset, which many have branded the most shocking in UFC history, Nunes has provided some context behind her performance.

While many branded her loss as a display of quit, the reigning featherweight queen has suggested she was carrying a number of injuries into the contest that were serious enough for a doctor to recommend her withdrawal. With those issues contributing to what she described as a “mess” of a camp, Nunes believes she simply wasn’t prepared enough.

But despite citing those struggles as reasons behind her setback, Nunes also gave credit to the newly crowned bantamweight titleholder. During a media scrum earlier this month, the 33-year-old pinpointed one punch early in round two as the turning point in the contest.

“I got caught in the beginning of the second round. I don’t know if it was a jump-in, overhand, I don’t know what the move was. But for me, it looked like a jump overhand. It got me right here [points to behind left ear],” said Nunes. “It’s like, that was the end. I was not able to recover after that. I told Nina (Nunes) like, I felt dizzy, because I never got caught before. If you’re asking me how getting caught feels, I never would’ve answered because I never got caught before. So when I got caught, I lost everything; I lost my balance, my visual was a little bit blurry, too, and from that moment, everything went downhill.

“When I got on the floor, I was already done,” Nunes continued. “From watching the fight, and how everything was played in my head after I got caught, yeah. Everybody say I was tired and everything, okay, (they) look at me and say, ‘Your timing was off;” yeah, I didn’t train well for the fight. Of course, you think I showed up 100%? But I did get caught. She really connected a good one and I wasn’t able to recover.”

Having apparently become the first woman to really catch Nunes and badly wobble her in the striking realm, Peña will look to repeat the feat when she puts her gold on the line in a rematch against the Brazilian later this year.

Before that, though, the pair are set to exchange words and interact on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, where the two rivals will serve as coaches.

Who do you think will win the rematch, Amanda Nunes or Julianna Peña?

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Julianna Peña Disputes Amanda Nunes’ “I’m Better” Claim: “Where At?”

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña has questioned which areas Amanda Nunes believes she has the edge over her in. At UFC 269, the final pay-per-view event of 2021, Nunes’ seemingly unstoppable two-division rule was brought to a crashing halt. Having remained unbeaten since 2014, had her hand raised in 12 consecutive Octagon outings, and…

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UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña has questioned which areas Amanda Nunes believes she has the edge over her in.

At UFC 269, the final pay-per-view event of 2021, Nunes’ seemingly unstoppable two-division rule was brought to a crashing halt. Having remained unbeaten since 2014, had her hand raised in 12 consecutive Octagon outings, and won gold at both 135 and 145 pounds, the “Lioness” was expected by most to breeze past her final challenge of last year.

Embracing the underdog role, Peña exuded immense confidence throughout fight week. Those who branded it as delusion were left with egg on their faces come fight night when “The Venezuelan Vixen” shocked the world with a second-round submission.

While she handled the loss graciously inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, Nunes recently provided some context behind her loss, suggesting she’d entered the fight with injuries and off the back of a rough camp.

With that in mind, the reigning featherweight titleholder has vowed to prove she’s better than Peña when they meet for the second time later this year.

“Honestly, of course, the belt is something that all of us chase,” Nunes said in an interview with ESPN. “At this point in my life, I just want to show up 100 percent how I want to be. So with the belt, without the belt, I just want to really, really prove I’m better than her.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

It’s safe to say “The Venezuelan Vixen” disagrees with that assessment.

Peña: Nunes Got To See All My Strengths At UFC 269

During her own interview with ESPN, Peña responded to her rival’s claims. The newly-crowned champ said Nunes felt all aspects of her well-rounded game at UFC 269, and with that in mind, questioned where the Brazilian could possibly expect to have an edge.

“I think she got to see it all. We sparred on the feet, we grappled, you know, she was in dangerous positions when we were grappling,” said Peña. “She says that she wants to prove that she’s absolutely 100% better than me, but I’m like, ‘Where?’ We can grapple right here, right now if you want and I’ll show you that.

“You wanna box? We can do that, too. I’ll show you that, too. So this, ‘I can’t wait to show how much better that I am than her,’ where at? Where do you think that? I don’t think that, I don’t agree with that,” added Peña. “The beauty of fighting is we’re gonna go find out and we’re gonna get to do it all over again.”

Like Peña says, we’ll soon find out who is right. After a stint coaching this year’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter, the pair are set to run it back.

While “The Venezuelan Vixen” will be hoping to record her first successful defense and firmly establish her superiority over the consensus female MMA GOAT, the “Lioness” will be out for redemption.

Do you agree with Julianna Peña? Is she better than Amanda Nunes in all areas?

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Amanda Nunes: Losing The Belt Has Brought My Fire Back

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and reigning featherweight titleholder Amanda Nunes says losing the 135-pound belt to Julianna Peña has brought her “fire” back. At UFC 269 in December, Nunes saw her 12-fight win streak and three-year two-division rule collapse at the hands of an unlikely character. Like many before her, Peña’s chances of dethroning…

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Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and reigning featherweight titleholder Amanda Nunes says losing the 135-pound belt to Julianna Peña has brought her “fire” back.

At UFC 269 in December, Nunes saw her 12-fight win streak and three-year two-division rule collapse at the hands of an unlikely character. Like many before her, Peña’s chances of dethroning the “Lioness’ were dismissed and her confidence branded delusional.

But writing the story completely different to most fans and pundits expected, “The Venezuelan Vixen” created a chapter of UFC history that will long be remembered. In the second round of their co-main event clash, Peña rocked Nunes on the feet before dragging her down and submitting her.

For the T-Mobile Arena crowd and the millions watching at home, the sound of “And New” was about as surprising a moment as any since the promotion’s inception.

Nunes “Can’t Wait” To Start Over

While Nunes would be forgiven for being distraught and disheartened after suffering her first setback since 2014, the Brazilian has remained as positive as ever.

After a gracious post-fight interview, she promised to come back strong. If the featherweight champ’s recent comments are to be believed, her return this year will signify the arrival of a Nunes who is hungrier than ever.

During a recent media scrum, the consensus female MMA GOAT suggested losing the bantamweight gold and now having something to “chase” has brought her fire back.

“Honestly, after I lose that belt, the fire is like, built up again,” said Nunes. “I’m telling you, damn, I can’t wait to start over. I have something to chase. It’s not like, ‘Oh my god, I lost my belt,’ and staying home crying. That’s never gonna happen with me. Actually, UFC changed my life. How I’m living, whatever happens right now is like, amazing. UFC changed, literally, my life. I don’t have time to be sad.”

With her fire back and her physical condition hopefully at 100%, Nunes will get her chance for redemption later this year. After coaching this year’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter, Peña and Nunes will run it back, with the status of bantamweight queen on the line.

Do you think Amanda Nunes will reclaim the bantamweight gold from Julianna Peña in their rematch?

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Julianna Peña Considers Trying Stand-Up Comedy, May Fight Hecklers

While she certainly has undeniable talent inside the Octagon, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña hopes to one day try her hand in the art of stand-up comedy. The past few months have seen Peña rise from an unlikely contender to one of the most prominent names in MMA. While her title-winning performance against Amanda…

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While she certainly has undeniable talent inside the Octagon, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña hopes to one day try her hand in the art of stand-up comedy.

The past few months have seen Peña rise from an unlikely contender to one of the most prominent names in MMA. While her title-winning performance against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 certainly played a key part in that, the champ’s charisma and confidence with a microphone in her hand have played an enhancing role.

Before the final pay-per-view of 2021, Peña’s confidence and self-belief were branded as delusional by many, including then-two-division titleholder Nunes. But with a second-round submission, “The Venezuelan Vixen” silenced her critics and shot into the mainstream.

Peña’s Aspirations Always Went Beyond Fighting

While the result was surprising for many and was even branded the sport’s biggest shock by some, there was nothing untoward about it for Peña. For her whole life, she’s aspired to be great and to achieve her goals.

While combat sports success has always been a target, the Washington native’s UFC triumph is just one of many ambitions she’s harbored throughout her life. The others? A dabble into rap music and a successful stand-up comedy show.

During her appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Peña revealed she’d recently been approached about an opportunity to perform a comedy set. While that might seem like a left-field offer to some, the bantamweight queen said that becoming a comedian was one of three potential career paths she’d identified during her early years.

“(Comedian Adam Hunter) just texted me the other day and asked me if I would be willing to do a five- or seven-minute set,” said Peña. “So when I was growing up, the three things I wanted to be: rapper, boxer, and comedian. Like, I remember growing up and being like, ‘I wanna be either of these three things.’ And so I love comedy. I’m a massive comedy fan… I told him I think I will.”

In comedy, one thing is needed: tough skin. With heckling rife in the occupation, comedians have to be able to handle potential abuse and be able to dish it back.

That is certainly one thing that wouldn’t phase Peña, although given how she tried to handle an abusive co-worker during her restaurant days, perhaps she’d attempt to deal with it too well…

“And I think about that. I don’t think I could handle that, right? Get some heckler in the crowd I’d be like, ‘Let’s step outside, guy. You got something to say to me?’” 

It was perhaps apt that she also discussed the need to avoid stepping over lines and causing offense, something Rogan has come to know a lot about since Peña’s appearance on his podcast.

“And that’s the thing, too, like what’s offensive and what’s funny? Like, I think masks are hilarious. But you start talking about masks and people wearing masks, and then people are going to get offended because all these people have died and yadda, yadda, yadda,” said Peña.

Given her remarks on motherhood and COVID-19, it’s safe to say Peña doesn’t have a knack for avoiding controversy…

So, as well as an upcoming coaching stint on this year’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter and her first title defense against Nunes, perhaps we can expect a rap album and a comedy tour from “The Venezuelan Vixen” in the near future.

Would you go to a Julianna Peña stand-up comedy show?

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Considers Trying Stand-Up Comedy, May Fight Hecklers at MMA News.

Peña Understands How ATT Drama Could Lead to Nunes’ Exit

Juliana Peña can see where Amanda Nunes is coming from leaving ATT. Juliana Peña has a rematch set with Amanda Nunes. Leading up to the next fight these two will be spending a lot of time together. They will be coaching the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, and that calls for six weeks of…

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Juliana Peña can see where Amanda Nunes is coming from leaving ATT.

Juliana Peña has a rematch set with Amanda Nunes. Leading up to the next fight these two will be spending a lot of time together. They will be coaching the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, and that calls for six weeks of close encounters between them. There was some bad blood leading up to the first fight, and now coming into the second, Peña is siding with Nunes on one issue.

Recently, Nunes decided to take some time away from her longtime gym, ATT. She sited wanting to branch out on her own and do her own thing as her reason. ATT has been in the news for another reason as well. Former ATT athlete Colby Covington will be fighting current ATT fighter and former training partner Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.

ATT owner Dan Lambert has recently stated that the fallout between Covington and Masvidal was so toxic that at one point both fighters had to be removed from the gym. This, along with other recent incidents, makes it easy for Peña to understand why Nunes would want out.

“I absolutely do believe that. It’s probably because she’s felt this way for a long time. She’s at a one-stop-shop at American Top Team; a McDonald’s, cookie-cutter type gym, where they’re just throwing these guys in and out, and in and out, and everyone trains with everyone,” Peña said during a recent media scrum.

“You’ve got Jorge Masvidal used to be friends with Colby Covington, used to be friends with Dustin Poirier, now they all hate each other, but they still gotta train in the same gym. It’s awkward. It’s, ‘Do I trust these people? Do they have my best interests? Are they telling people about me? Are they watching what I’m doing like a hawk and then this information’s gonna get leaked out?’”

Peña Believes Kayla Harrison May Have Played Role In Exit

Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison

Nunes is maintaining that she is still holding a good relationship with the team. But Peña looking in from the outside can see many flags, including another former teammate who has expressed interest in fighting Nunes: Kayla Harrison.

“It’s a whole lot of paranoia. It’s a lot of people making sure they have your best interests. So, I feel – I don’t know exactly what happened—but I feel like that’s definitely some part of why she feels like she needs to leave,” Peña said. “Especially with them saying, ‘Oh, Kayla Harrison’s the team captain, how do you feel about that?’ … ‘But now Kayla Harrison is my training partner, but now Kayla Harrison wants to fight me for a mega-million-dollar fight.’ It’s like, who is really your friend here? You can’t trust anyone in that gym. I anticipate if she said this was a long time coming, I believe that I really do.”

In the lead-up to the first bout with Peña, Nunes said she had a bad training camp. She said she suffered injuries in the weeks before the fight. Now with a new training gym and time to heal, she is expecting a different outcome.

Do you think Nunes’ departure from ATT will helo her in the rematch with Peña?

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Harrison Walks Back Comments About Potential Bantamweight Peña Fight

Kayla Harrison has clarified recently publicized remarks about her interest in moving down to 135 for a fight against UFC Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña. As Kayla Harrison’s free agency drags on, there continues to be an abundance of time for imaginations to run rampant about what may be next for the Olympian judoka. Not long…

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Kayla Harrison has clarified recently publicized remarks about her interest in moving down to 135 for a fight against UFC Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña.

As Kayla Harrison’s free agency drags on, there continues to be an abundance of time for imaginations to run rampant about what may be next for the Olympian judoka.

Not long ago, it appeared as though the answer to that question would be a fourth year with the Professional Fighters League and an attempt at winning the women’s lightweight season for the third consecutive time. However, last week it was revealed that those talks hit a snag, and we are right back where we started with nothing but speculation, scuttlebutt, and…sarcasm?

According to Kayla Harrison, when she mentioned potentially joining the UFC’s bantamweight division for a fight against reigning champ Julianna Peña, it was mostly a case of sarcasm gone undetected by ESPN journalist Marc Raimondi.

“I mean, you know, Marc [Raimondi] wrote an article that kinda oversold it a little. [LAUGHS] I was kinda talkin’ shit, like, being goofy. But my goal is obviously not to fight 135 pounds,” Harrison said in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “Man, you can’t say anything without it—I gotta watch what I say from now on.

“Obviously, I wanna fight the best in the world. Julianna is now considered the top dog, but I also heard that she would fight me at 145 for the right amount of money. So I probably won’t have to fight 135. I just wanna challenge myself and continue to get better. Do I want to fight (at) 135? Fuck no. Like, no, of course not. But I was kinda joking around in there. My sarcasm went over his head.”

A Kayla Harrison Bantamweight Fight Still Possible If…

Kayla Harrison
MMA Junkie

Sarcasm aside, there is a scenario where Harrison would be more open to fighting at 135 in the distant future against a hypothetical future beast who calls to be slain. Until then, it would take an obscene amount of money to shift her any lower than 145 lbs.

“Yeah, unless I get offered a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money,” Harrison said about featherweight being the only option for a fight against Peña. “Or if there’s like some undefeated, young, hungry absolute killer who’s at 135 and she starts talkin’ a little smack, maybe then I’d have to come down. But other than that, no.”

Harrison currently competes at 155 lbs., but she has competed at 145 before. She has never fought at 135, however, and amidst the trash talk between the two champions, Peña doubted that she ever could. But if Harrison were able to prove her wrong and make the weight, “The Venezuelan Vixen” stated she’d be more than happy to welcome her to bantamweight.

As Harrison alluded to, Peña also said she’d fight Harrison or anyone else for that matter at any weight as long as she is paid the right amount of money. So while Harrison may be walking back her sarcastic words from an earlier interview, she seems keen to hold Peña to hers if the two ever turn trash talk into blockbuster action.

Who do you think would win a fight between Kayla Harrison and Julianna Peña?

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