Amanda Nunes Beats Julianna Pena via Decision to Retain Title in Rematch at UFC 277
Amanda Nunes reclaimed her bantamweight throne with a unanimous decision win over Julianna Peña in their main event rematch at UFC 277 in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday.
From the jump it was clear that Pena was seeing a different Nunes than the one she beat at UFC 269.
The Brazilian surprised her opponent by coming out in a southpaw stance which set her up to easily counter the jab that gave her so much trouble in the first fight.
Things really started to turn for Nunes in the second round where she was able to knock down Pena three times, primarily with her lead right hook out of the left-handed stance.
The latter rounds featured a bit more grappling. It also offered the only glimmer of hope for Pena. She nearly locked in an armbar that would have stunned the crowd again.
However, it wasn't in the cards as Nunes clearly earned the right to be the champion of the 135-pound division again.
The win is another bullet point on one of the best resumes in the history of the sport. The Lioness has defeated some of the best women of her generation, but lost her belt after more than five years in an upset loss to Pena at UFC 269.
The Lioness didn't look great on that night, and she has since opened up on a difficult training camp preceding the loss.
"I had a bad knee injury leading up to that fight," Nunes said, per E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com. "I tried to push, push, push, and I was trying to do it. In my head, I thought I was going to be able to beat Julianna with how my training was going, and obviously, I should have prepared better."
Lesson learned.
Nunes looked much more focused this time around. The end result was something similar to what we've seen when she faces the titans of her weight class.
Her resume includes wins over Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey and several other top names.
With one of her few career losses avenged, the division is once again ruled by Nunes. As long as she maintains her focus, she's going to be tough to dethrone.
Brandon Moreno Beats Kai Kara-France via 3rd-Round TKO in UFC 277 Co-Main Event
Brandon Moreno added an interim flyweight championship belt to his resume with a third-round TKO win over Kai Kara-France in the co-main event of UFC 277.
The fight got off to a slow start as both fighters took nearly the whole first round to get a read on one another. However, business started to pick up in Round 2 as Moreno's boxing allowed him to score with a few hooks.
Kara-France answered with some leg kicks which parlayed nicely into him opening things up in the third round.
The New Zealanders started to score more regularly with boxing of his own but his willingness to stand and exchange cost him in the long run. Moreno landed a nasty body kick that sent Kara-France to the floor and ended the fight.
The win over Kara-France is the second time he has beaten the New Zealander. The two met at UFC 245 on the Fight Pass Prelims, where Moreno took a unanimous decision before working his way up to UFC champion.
The 28-year-old effectively proved that he's still among the top flyweights in the world. It's a point that could have been lost in the fact that he fought current champion Deiveson Figueiredo three times in a row.
With their series tied at one apiece with one draw, it would appear a fourth fight is what's coming down the pike for the division.
This bout was created as an interim championship while Figueiredo recovers from injuries. Now he has a timetable for his return.
"I couldn't accept this fight right now. I understand they were going to fight for this anyway, and it's important for them to fight. The belt is mine," the champion told Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. "They're going to come for my belt. Surely by the end of the year, the start of next year, I will be ready to go and ready to face whoever wins this."
Now that we have a winner, Figueiredo knows he will see a familiar face.
It isn't often that a fourth fight is necessary between two competitors, but this is the exception. With the series all tied up and the two proven to put on a great fight, the fourth fight should provide a fitting conclusion to their rivalry.
B/R Exclusive: Amanda Nunes on Admitting Mistakes and Gaining Revenge at UFC 277
In contrast to her ferocity in the cage, Amanda Nunes is about as nice and gregarious a person as the current UFC roster has to offer.
That's all well and good for interviewers like me, but this Saturday at UFC 277, Nunes will have to make sure she recaptures her edge. The women's MMA GOAT will need nothing less if she is to gain her revenge against Julianna Pena, who now holds the UFC women's bantamweight strap that belonged to Nunes for five years.
Nunes, who is still the UFC women's featherweight champ, admitted after the shocking loss to Pena back in December that she was distracted and indulging in the spoils of success. Honestly, who can blame her? As one of only four fighters to simultaneously hold two UFC belts, she's earned it.
Still, onlookers noted her lack of stamina in the fight, which saw Pena overcome an early battering to outbox and eventually choke out the Brazilian in the second round. Nunes would later attribute it to an incomplete camp and struggles brought on by a bout with COVID-19 and a knee injury. However, a simple lack of commitment in the gym before the camp remained a part of the narrative in the run-up to the rematch. The rivalry with Pena was further enhanced by the two coaching opposite each other on the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
In advance of Saturday's main event at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Bleacher Report spoke to Nunes about her preparation for the rematch with Pena—and what she's doing to correct past mistakes.
Had you done any coaching before The Ultimate Fighter?
Nunes: Back in the day, I used to coach little kids in judo and jiu-jitsu, but nothing at the professional level. It was mainly just to help out, help my partners. But I enjoyed it a lot, doing that.
Did you enjoy coaching on the show?
Nunes: It was a very good experience for me. At first I was a little bit nervous to coach them, I'm not gonna lie to you. I wanted to be sure I was able to help. I was especially nervous to coach the guys. They were heavyweight guys. (laughs) I didn't have much experience; [partner] Nina [Ansaroff] had more experience with coaching than me. She has been in a lot of corners before. She was there to help me on the show. But once we started, I started to make friendship with all of them and talk to them. The heavyweight guys had such open minds. The girls, too. Maybe coaching is something I could do in the future. I don't know.
What did you learn about Julianna Pena during TUF?
Nunes: (pauses) I just think that Julianna Pena is a very weird person.
How so?
Nunes: I don't know. She's just weird for me. She always has these different vibes. Nothing against her. Nothing personal. She's just weird.
Let's talk about your camp for the rematch. For the first bout, you had COVID-19 and a knee injury. Have you had better luck the second time around?
Nunes: Yes, definitely. I had a full camp this time. The first camp was hard. Because of COVID, I was struggling a little bit with my lungs. But the big thing was my knees. I wasn't able to move how I like to move in training because everything was hurting. So I was training one day, then taking two days off. It wasn't how I wanted to do things. But that's how it is.
Your original camp didn't seem to go so well for several reasons.
Nunes: Yes, we all make mistakes. Sometimes I have a hard head; I don't want to listen. And [the Pena loss] was what I got for it. But we all have to move forward. I'm not going to stop doing what I love to do. So I had to learn. I feel like now I know how to lose. You lose, but you move forward. I know what I have to do to come back to the top again.
You and others had suggested that coming into the fight you were a little too comfortable with success, that maybe you weren't as motivated as you had been in the past.
Nunes: That is true, too! Man, I did this for seven years. You don't think I can enjoy a little bit? I always say that the UFC changed my life. They really believe in me. Everything I've ever asked of them, they've done for me.
But I still have a long way to go. I want to fight until I'm 40. But I wanted to enjoy for a while. I didn't lose the belt just because of that. I still want to win. I still trained. I did everything that I could in that camp, you know what I mean? Being in pain, and with my lungs being bad, I still stepped in the cage.
But yes. I do want to enjoy my life. A lot of people want to be in my position. A lot of fighters want to be able to enjoy life, and I'm happy to be able to.