Former two-divison UFC Champion Amanda Nunes avenged her only loss in the last decade with a complete shutout.
The consensus greatest female fighter of all time and soon-to-be hall of famer Amanda Nunes has been retired for the last two years, deciding it’s about time to come back as two ladies she has history with collide for her long-held UFC bantamweight title.
Current champ Julianna Peña will defend the title against Kayla Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 316 on June 7th in Newark, New Jersey. A former foe of Nunes, Peña currently tied 1-1 with ‘The Lioness’, backing out of their scheduled trilogy fight at UFC 289 due to injury.
Nunes retired on that event much to the disappointment of Peña, who fought the urge to not storm the Octagon following her eighth successful title defense total against Irene Aldana.
Nunes has won six rounds out of seven against Peña, willing to go another one if she gets past her former teammate, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in judo Kayla Harrison this summer.
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Amanda Nunes dropped Julianna Peña multiple times at UFC 277
Amanda Nunes lost her first fight to Peña at UFC 269 in one of, if not the biggest upset in UFC history. The second-round TKO defeat came months after a battle with COVID-19.
Fast forward 7 months to UFC 277, Nunes would look like a completely different fighter with a southpaw stance, lightning-quick counters and the five-round cardio to give a championship performance for the ages in Dallas, Texas on July 30, 2022.
Nunes had a very strong start against Peña, nearly knocking her down twice in the opening round. Still, Peña stood toe-to-toe like their previous meeting, landing a few good shots of her own.
Things really started to pick up for Nunes in the second round. Peña would rush in aggressively and each time she did, Nunes countered with beautifully-timed shots to put her down.
Nunes scored 3 knockdowns on Peña in the second round alone, letting her back up to the feet each time.
Amanda Nunes bloodied Julianna Peña in five-round domination
Round 2 scored a 10-8 for Nunes, the featherweight champion continued to dominate Peña but more so on the ground in the later rounds.
Nunes absolutely smothered Peña from top position, landing ground and pound strikes when she could, short elbows opening up a decent cut on her rival’s forehead.
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Besides an armbar attempt from Peña, rounds 4 and 5 were one-way traffic for Nunes, who left ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ battered and bloodied with punishing shots.
Nunes nearly closed out the show in the final seconds of round 5 but let Peña finish the fight on her feet.
The scorecards read 50-43, 50-44, and 50-45 with Amanda Nunes winning back her title by unanimous decision, the Brazilian once again a two-division champion on top of the world.
