"Amanda took it in the end, but Julianna never relinquished it [the belt]" - Big John McCarthy all praise for Julianna Pena's toughness at UFC 277

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John McCarthy (left), Julianna Pena vs Amanda Nunes (right) [Images courtesy - WEIGHING IN XTRA via YouTube, and @UFC via Instagram]

'Big' John McCarthy has commended Julianna Pena for the grit and absurd toughness she displayed in her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 last Saturday.

During a recent episode of the WeighingIn podcast, McCarthy and Josh Thompson discussed the UFC 277 bantamweight title rematch between Nunes and Pena.

The former MMA referee heaped praise on 'The Venezuelan Vixen' for never once giving up through five rounds of beatdowns. However, she eventually lost to 'The Lioness' on points.

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"I love the fact that she never ever gave in. She never relinquished that belt at any moment during that fight. Amanda took it in the end, but Julianna never relinquished it. She was always fighting for it and I love that about it."

Catch John McCarthy and Josh Thompson discuss Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena below:

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Pena pulled off an upset win over Nunes in December to be crowned the bantamweight champion.

However, Pena was knocked down thrice during their latest showdown. She suffered a nasty cut on her forehead before the judges scored the contest 50-45, 50-44, 50-43 in favor of 'The Lioness'.

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Julianna Pena provides health update after loss to Amanda Nunes, calls for trilogy

Julianna Pena was transported to the hospital following her loss to Amanda Nunes on Saturday. Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Dana White stated that 'The Venezuelan Vixen' will need to undergo surgery. He stated that a "big chunk" of her forehead went missing following the grueling battle.

However, Pena took to her Instagram handle and revealed that she only required some stitches to close the wounds and that no chunks were missing.

Pena will still need to take some time off to recover.

It appears, though, that the former champion is ready for a trilogy bout with 'The Lioness' now that both fighters have a win over the other. Pena wrote:

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"Tougher than a two dollar steak 🥩 Thanks for the love everyone! Just a cat scratch that required a few stitches, no chunks missing, no surgery necessary. Love you all! We’re 1-1 now #peopleschamp #trilogy #penavsnunes3 #lfg"

With her latest loss to Amanda Nunes, Pena has gone 3-3 in her last six bouts. Meanwhile, 'The Lioness' got back into the win column and re-established her position as the two-division champion in the promotion. Prior to her first loss to Pena in December, the Brazilian was riding a 12-fight win streak in the promotion.

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