Julianna Pena had epic TUF prank planned of locking Amanda Nunes in a room with a bear, but was rejected by the UFC
Julianna Pena claims to have planned out some epic pranks for Amanda Nunes which were eventually denied. According to Pena, one particular plan involved Johnny Knoxville, the Hollywood actor and stunt-performer from Jackass, and a bear.
Pena also claimed to have UFC President Dana White on board with the plan which involved locking Nunes up inside a room with the bear. They later contemplated using a tiger and midgets as accommodating a bear wasn't feasible. However, that plan was eventually botched as well. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' said during the UFC 277 media day:
"I will tell you that Johnny Knoxville was involved, and that they had a bear. And we were going to lock [Amanda Nunes] in a room, and when she walks in she’s going to see this gigantic bear, and [we’d] lock the door, and she can’t get out and start freaking out.”
She also added:
“Johnny Knoxville was on board, Dana was on board, and then they were like, ‘we have the fights on Saturday night, this bear has to get acclimated to this room for four nights. It has to eat, sh*t, sleep in this room. We need the room for the fights.’ So they ended up saying that we couldn’t have the bear, so we changed it to a tiger and midgets.”
Watch Pena's appearance at the UFC 277 media day below:
Amanda Nunes claims that her loss to Julianna Pena gave her the push she needed
Amanda Nunes was a -1200 favorite on a few Sportsbooks going into her UFC 269 title fight against Julianna Pena last December. 'The Lioness' suffered her first loss in over six years via second-round submission, causing one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
The two have since featured as rival coaches on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will culminate in a rematch for the UFC women's banatmweight title at UFC 277 this weekend. Fired up to regain her title, Nunes claims that her loss to Pena in the first encounter was essential for her. 'The Lioness' said during the UFC 277 media day:
"Losing the belt was never something that put me down or sad. It just kept me motivated and fired me up. I always needed that. I needed that kind of push. What Julianna brought was the challenge I needed. I was without a challenge for so long. Now, finally, I get in the position that I like to feel. I like to feel trapped. These are the moments I love the most."
Watch Nunes' appearance at the UFC 277 media day below: