The Life of Schmitt 289

UFC President Dana White has confirmed Nunes will be offered a rematch and the 33-year-old said she’d “undoubtedly” accept any chance to win the title back. After the fight, Nunes was criticized for tapping too quick, with some suggesting that she was looking for a way out and simply quit, but not because of the pressure of the rear-naked choke. It’s a sentiment Champ that doesn’t sit right with Pena, who says had Nunes not tapped she’d be going home with a pretty severe injury. Pena most recently defeated Sara McMann via submission in the third round and has won seven of her past nine fights. Obviously, Pena would love a TKO, but the odds of that happening against arguably the best female fighter in the world are very slim.
However, with the bantamweight champion’s excellent takedown defense record, it will be extremely difficult for Julianna Pena to control the fight. And if this fight takes place on the standup, then Amanda Nunes is incredibly powerful and dangerous than her opponent. Before we analyze this matchup and make a prediction, let us compare the stats of the two bantamweight fighters that will step inside the octagon this weekend. Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz also rallied for a unanimous decision over Pedro Munhoz.



The loss to Pena snaps a 12-fight winning streak dating back to 2015. "It's up there with Serra and [Georges St-Pierre]," White told reporters regarding the upset. To many, including this dumbfounded observer, Peña's words sounded like nothing but empty bluster.
Despite the severity of the injury, doctors have assured Peña that her right knee will return to full strength following surgery and rehabilitation. Oliveira and White both said the champ’s next defense is likely to be against Justin Gaethje, the entertaining brawler who held the interim title in 2020. Julianna Peña didn’t even realize Amanda Nunes had tapped out of Peña’s chokehold until somebody told her in the cage moments after the referee pulled her off the long-reigning champion.

Pena is coming off a submission victory over Sara McMann. This was a rebound victory for “The Venezuelan Vixen” as she was choked out by Germaine de Randamie the bout prior. On October 14, 2017 Peña announced that she was pregnant and would be taking an indefinite hiatus from the sport. On July 13, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 13, nearly two and a half years from her last bout, she returned and faced former UFC Women's Flyweight Championship Nicco Montaño, replacing an injured Sara McMann. Peña faced Gina Mazany in the elimination fight to get into the house. She controlled the fight from early on, winning a clear unanimous decision victory after two rounds.
Nunes is the third fighter in UFC history to hold this honor. Moving up to the featherweight division, Nunes defeated Cris Cyborg in 51-seconds of the bout to earn the title. Fight fans could not believe how quickly Nunes knocked out a fighter as great as Cris Cyborg.

Pena has been calling for a title shot against Nunes since her win over Nicco Montano in 2019 and cut up quite the promo during an interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani earlier this year. She accused Nunes of ducking her and took shots at her partner, Nina during the sit-down. Nunes will face a brand-new challenge in Pena, who rose to the top of the bantamweight contenders by dominating Sara McMann en route to a submission win at UFC 257 earlier this year. The former The Ultimate Fighter winner is looking to cap off her hot streak with an upset win over Nunes. UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes will return to defend her belt against Julianna Pena at UFC 269 on Dec. 11, as rep