It's inexcusable to be that tired in the second round - When Joe Rogan criticized Amanda Nunes' performance against Julianna Pena at UFC 269
![Joe Rogan (left), Julianna Pena vs Amanda Nunes (right) [Images courtesy: PowerfulJRE via YouTube and Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/77e84-16587740977985-1920.jpg?w=500)
Julianna Pena pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when she dethroned Amanda Nunes last December to become the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' earned praise from many in the community, including Joe Rogan. However, the color commentator also had some sharp words of criticism for the now-former UFC champ-champ for failing to deliver a high-caliber championship performance.
According to Rogan, it was a shocking performance from 'The Lioness', and one that wasn't expected of a fighter of her magnitude. Speaking on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with Marlon Vera, the UFC color commentator said:
"She was like, trying to take her out quick and then when Julianna was still there, you could tell she [Nunes] was f***** tired. For you to be a world champion in two divisions and universally recognized as the greatest woman fighter of all time, which Amanda is, it's [inexcusable] to be that tired in the second round. Just standing in front of her, just swinging in front of her, no movement side-to-side. Standing right in front of her like you're watching a regional fight."
Amanda Nunes was a massive betting favorite heading into her UFC 269 bout against Julianna Pena last year. The Brazilian had a strong opening round against her opponent and looked almost as good as she had in some of her previous fights.
However, 'The Lioness' found herself in a sloppy brawl in the second round that ultimately led to her gassing out before getting submitted.
Watch Joe Rogan discuss Amanda Nunes' UFC 269 performance against Julianna Pena below:
Amanda Nunes details what went wrong during her first fight with Julianna Pena
Amanda Nunes recently weighed in on her devastating loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 last December. Speaking to ESPN MMA, 'The Lioness' asserted that she wasn't at 100 percent going into the bout, which she believes is to blame for the outcome.
The 34-year-old also explained that she didn't want to withdraw from the fight a second time after being forced to pull out previously upon contracting COVID-19. Here's what Nunes said:
"I [made] a mistake, a huge mistake. A lot of things went wrong in my camp and I still moved forward. I [didn't] want to let the fight [fall] through. I let the fight fell through once because I got COVID. I [didn't] want to let the fight fell through again, so that pressure."
Watch Nunes' full interview with ESPN MMA below:
Nunes also previously stated that she had injuries to both her knees headling into her last fight, which forced her to adjust the training camp.
While there's a bit of uncertainty around what to expect from Amanda Nunes going into her rematch with Julianna Pena this Saturday, 'The Lioness' is still a sizeable betting favorite to come out on top. However, Nunes will also have a ton of pressure as she will now have to prove that she's a better fighter than her rival.