Tag: Julianna Pena

UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to battle Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.

Nunes was expected by many to run through Peña in their matchup. Instead, the fiery Peña proved to be a game opponent in the opening minutes and came out with a barrage of punches in Round 2.

After exhausting Nunes, Peña secured a hard takedown and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the victory. It was arguably the biggest upset in UFC history.

Nunes didn’t look like her usually dominant self in the eyes of many. She looked sluggish and fatigued after just minutes of action in the Octagon.

During a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, Peña said she wasn’t surprised by what Nunes brought to the cage and believes Nunes’ place in MMA history is secure in spite of her UFC 269 loss.

“Honestly, that’s the hardest I’ve ever been hit, and those leg kicks really hurt me,” Peña said. “A lot of her shots were very powerful, they were the strongest that I have ever felt. She is the GOAT for a reason, and she is considered and still will always be considered the greatest of all time, so I literally took those shots, and I thought, ‘Holy cow, I just got hit by a Mack Truck.’ I knew, though, that I had to weather the storm in order to keep the grind on her and to get the win. So I wasn’t deterred at all by the power that I felt.”

Julianna Peña, Amanda Nunes Could Be On Track To Battle Again

An immediate rematch between Peña and Nunes could be next in the bantamweight division. Both women agreed to it, and UFC President Dana White touted it as “the biggest women’s fight of all time.”

However, Nunes has hinted at taking some time off, and it’s unclear as to when we’ll see these two square off once again. Things took a heated turn after the fight when Peña claimed the title of the UFC’s first “mom champ,” much to the chagrin of Nunes and others.

After one of the most remarkable moments in modern MMA history, the Peña/Nunes rivalry appears to just be getting started.

What is your early prediction for an Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña rematch?

Continue Reading Julianna Peña: Amanda Nunes Will Always Be Considered The GOAT at MMA News.

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña has issued a challenge for those who continue to doubt and discredit her title-winning performance at UFC 269.

At the final pay-per-view of 2021, Peña finally had her long-awaited clash with then-two-division titleholder Amanda Nunes. Having dominantly reigned over both the bantamweight and featherweight classes for years, most expected the “Lioness” to brush “The Venezuelan Vixen” aside and add another defense to her résumé.

What transpired inside Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena couldn’t have been further from the predictions of most. After getting through the first round unscathed, the challenger put her plan into action. After hurting and tiring Nunes on the feet, Peña sent the Brazilian crashing to the mat before choking her out and taking her title.

Peña Makes Her Doubters A Guarantee

Despite executing her game plan to perfection and completing one of the greatest upsets in UFC history, some fans and pundits have questioned whether Peña beat Nunes, or if the former champion simply quit after being put into a position she hadn’t faced since 2014.

Having previously suggested Nunes had no choice but to tap out to the pressure of her choke, the newly-crowned bantamweight queen has now gone a step further. During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, Peña challenged those doubting the UFC 269 finish to endure the choke themselves.

“It was great. That’s the second time I’ve finished (a fight with that rear-naked choke). I finished Sara McMann in January. It’s something that is not a regular rear-naked choke. I know that a lot of people want to discredit me, people wanna say that I didn’t have any hooks in and that wasn’t real and she just tapped because she quit.

“I guarantee you, and Jim, maybe one day you can take me up on this, or any of your listeners, if any of them out there want to come to my house and let me put that choke on them, I guarantee you they’re gonna tap as well and I guarantee you they’ll be able to feel that force and pressure that I was putting on Amanda.”

Having ascended the bantamweight mountaintop, the next step for Peña to further legitimize her spot on the throne will likely be a second clash with Nunes.

After UFC President Dana White confirmed the option of an immediate rematch would be made available to the former champ, the “Lioness” quickly accepted. The pair will seemingly enter the Octagon together again in the first half of 2022.

Do you think Amanda Nunes had to tap to Julianna Peña’s choke at UFC 269?

Continue Reading Peña Issues A Challenge For Those Who Think Nunes Quit At UFC 269 at MMA News.