When you beat an opponent that was widely regarded as the greatest
female fighter of all-time, you get a little bit more power at the
bargaining table. That doesn’t mean Julianna
Pena is going to make Amanda
Nunes wait, however.
Pena scored arguably the biggest upset of 2021 — and one of the
biggest in UFC history — when she submitted Nunes to claim the
bantamweight crown in the UFC
269 co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. Given Nunes’ track record, it seems possible that a
rematch could be imminent, and that’s something Pena is willing to
embrace.
“We can do it next, I’m free next month, two months from now –
whenever they want to do it I’m ready,” Pena said at Saturday’s
post-fight press conference. “If she wants to do a rematch, we can
do a rematch. I’ve always been a company girl. Whatever they want
to do — we’ll talk about that later. I just want to enjoy the
moment right now.”
After dropping the opening round to the reigning champ, Pena proved
she could hold her own — and then some — in a slugfest with
“Lioness.” When Nunes was unable to find the knockout, her demeanor
changed, and Pena continued to get the better of their exchanges on
the feet. All told, Pena outlanded Nunes by an impressive 74-to-36
count in significant strikes in Round 2.
“Everybody thinks I am just only versed on the ground or that I’m
just a ground person, but in mixed martial arts you have to be
versed everywhere,” Pena said. “On the feet, in the clinch and I’m
confident on the ground. Wherever the fight goes I’m
comfortable.It’s not htat I have one specific specialty. I like to
go wherever the fight takes me and I just let the fight take place
however it does naturally.”
Swinging wildly took its toll on Nunes, and she was unable to mount
much resistance when Pena grounded her and quickly transitioned to
her back on the canvas. The ending was somewhat anticlimactic for
“The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner. When the tapout arrived at the
3:26 mark of Round 2, Pena wasn’t even sure what had happened.
“I put the choke on, but I didn’t realize that she tapped,” Pena
admitted. “I remember when I took her down I thought, ‘Man I wish
somebody could tell me how much time I have left in the round’
because I didn’t know how much time was left. After that the ref
picked me up and they threw me in the corner — I think it was
either the commissioner or the ref — and I said ‘What happened’ and
he said, ’It’s over, you’re done. Congratulations.’ I was like, ‘I
didn’t even know.’”
In the immediate aftermath, Pena was still processing the
monumental achievement of beating a dominant force who entered
their matchup on a 12-bout winning streak.
“Amanda’s been such a great champion and she’s done so much for the
sport, so for me to take down arguably the greatest of all time is
something that’s still sinking in right now,” Pena said.