"She's got a little bit of egg on her face" - Julianna Pena believes "embarrassed" Amanda Nunes will bring vengeance to the octagon
Women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena believes that Amanda Nunes will do whatever it takes to reclaim the title at UFC 277 on Saturday in Dallas, Texas.
In an interview with ESPN MMA's Megan Olivi, Pena reiterated that she wants to prove to everyone that her win against the Brazilian wasn't a fluke, while claiming that Nunes will be coming with "a vengeance" for the bantamweight gold. She said:
"I think she's burned a little bit. She's embarrassed, she's got a little bit of egg on her face and she's going to be coming with a vengeance. But, I can tell you that, so am I. I am ready for anything and everything that comes my way. My job tomorrow night is to prove that it wasn't a fluke, it is the 'Pena Power' era and I'm here to reign for a while." [sic]
Julianna Pena stunned the world when she tapped out Nunes at UFC 269 last December to end Nunes' 12-fight winning streak and claim the bantamweight title.
'The Lioness' is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters to enter the octagon and the current featherweight champion will be aiming to avenge the shocking loss and earn back the coveted 'double-champ' status at the age of 34.
Watch Julianna Pena's full interview with ESPN MMA below :
Amanda Nunes got caught watching Julianna Pena's practice videos at TUF 30
The duo also faced off as coaches in season 30 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). Interestingly, during the pre-fight press conference for UFC 277, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' stated that Nunes was watching her practice videos with her team before being caught red-handed by Pena's team:
"Funny enough, I was watching her sitting in her van like watching my practices. They got caught, they got caught big-time and once we saw them watching our practices, they threw the car in reverse and they high-tailed out of there and I'm like I see what you guys are doing there."
After several weeks pitted against one another, the rivalry has gotten even more intense as the two gear up to meet inside the octagon once again. Nunes will be highly motivated to get back to winning ways, after also revealing that she was dealing with the after-effects of COVID-19 during her fight camp and was struggling with training in December.
Meanwhile, Pena is adamant to prove to the world that her win over Nunes wasn't all luck and that she is the superior mixed martial artist among the two.
Watch Julianna Pena's full interview below: