'Big' John McCarthy on why Julianna Pena has just as good a chance of beating Amanda Nunes again
The long-awaited rematch between Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes will go down this weekend. Despite many expecting the Brazilian to recapture her title, John McCarthy believes the champion has a good chance of defending her throne.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' has fought just nine times in her nine years with the UFC. However, in that time, she's managed to cement herself as one of the best competitors in the sport. Overcoming veterans like Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano and submitting Amanda Nunes are some of her biggest achievements in the cage.
While discussing the UFC 277 headliner on WEIGHING IN XTRA, 'Big' John McCarthy explained why Julianna Pena may once again surprise everybody and beat arguably the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time:
"Back in the first fight, I said I think that Julianna is a bad matchup stylistically for Amanda. I know Amanda's a black belt in jiu-jitsu. I think Julianna Pena is a much more stifling fighter on the ground than Amanda."
He went on to favor Pena:
"I think Julianna Pena does not gas. She does not get tired, especially in grappling situations, where I know that Amanda does... When someone presses her and makes her work past that comfort zone - we've seen it too many times in the past, Amanda has a hard time."
The 32-year-old Washington native hopes to extend her winning run to three-straight while also attempting to lodge her first defense of her newly acquired championship.
Check out what John McCarthy thinks of the upcoming women's bantamweight fight in the video below:
What's next for Amanda Nunes?
If Amanda Nunes is able to overwhelm Pena and reclaim her 135lbs throne, she may be forced by the UFC to complete a trilogy bout to settle the feud once and for all.
Ever since their close-fought second outing back in 2017, fans have wanted the Brazilian to face Valentina Shevchenko for a third time. 'Bullet' has been on a tear since losing that fight, winning nine straight and becoming the women's flyweight champion in the process.
However, if Pena does the unthinkable and beats Nunes once again, we could see the female G.O.A.T. hang up her gloves. While it would be an upsetting day for women's MMA, nobody can discredit the outstanding work she has put in inside the octagon.