"It takes two to tango" - Julianna Pena talks being Amanda Nunes' first big rivalry and its significance to women's MMA
UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena believes it's vital for her legacy and the division that she and Amanda Nunes have an intense rivalry.
Pena stunned the world at UFC 269 last year when she went toe-to-toe on the feet with Nunes before locking in a rear-naked choke for the victory. The 32-year-old's heart, determination and ability to withstand the KO power of 'The Lioness' resulted in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
At UFC 277 this week, 'The Venezeulan Vixen' will hope to silence her doubters once again when she rematches the dominant Brazilian. In her pre-fight press conference, the women's bantamweight champion opined that her rivalry with Amanda Nunes is important for women's MMA:
"It's something that's very important for my legacy and the sport in general. It takes two to tango, and you need a dance partner. Without Amanda [Nunes] and without me, there would be no headlining this UFC 277. We are the two best female fighters in mixed martial arts. If I didn't have Amanda and she didn't have me, none of this would exist."
Prior to her bout with Pena, Amanda Nunes had looked untouchable in the octagon. A jaw-dropping KO over Cris Cyborg and two wins over women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko were the closest to a rivalry Nunes had faced in many years.
At UFC 277, the 32-year-old champ will be hoping to go 2-0 against 'The Lioness' for her first title defense.
Catch Julianna Pena's pre-fight interview here:
Julianna Pena claims women's flyweight division was made because Valentina Shevchenko couldn't defeat Amanda Nunes
Although Pena believes her rivalry with Nunes is important for the sport, the women's bantamweight champ is confident Shevchenko's failure to defeat Nunes and ignite a rivalry on two occasions is the reason there is a women's 125lb division.
'Bullet' has only lost twice in the UFC since making her debut with each loss coming against 'The Lioness'. 'The Venezuelan Vixan' was adamant that the UFC saw potential in Shevchenko and opted to create a division around her to have another dominant female champion.
Speaking to Yahoo Sports, the 32-year-old said:
"They had to create a whole another division at 125 [lbs] because Valentina couldn't beat Amanda two times, so they went and cut weight and created a division. The real fights, the best fights are at 135lbs. Now that I've become champion, I've created a whole list of girls who are gunning for a shot at me... I'm in this division to fight the best of the best."
Three years ago today, Amanda Nunes defeated Valentina Shevchenko via split decision to defend her UFC bantamweight title
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Catch Julianna Pena on Yahoo! Sports here: