"You see that gigantic right hand that she is knocking everybody out with, that's fluff, you just go right into it!" - Julianna Pena on her game plan to "meet the monster head-on" in first Amanda Nunes fight

​

UFC 269: Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena [Image courtesy of Getty]

Julianna Pena recently revealed her game plan for her first fight against Amanda Nunes ahead of their rematch this weekend at UFC 277.

Pena believes that not many people are ready to take on Nunes in an aggressive manner and absorb the biggest hits of the featherweight queen. However, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' pointed out that she is built differently and has the mindset to be aggressive against 'The Lioness'. While speaking to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, the Washington native stated:

​

"I didn't ever think about the failures of why everyone else sucked and wasn't able to get the job done. Or what mistakes they made. I just focused on what I needed to do and that was a hard reality to know that you see that gigantic right hand she is knocking everybody out with, that's fluff, you just go right into it."

Pena went on to add that she is ready to meet fire with fire and is not someone who will retreat if adversity pops up on her way to victory. The UFC women's bantamweight champion said:

"Not a lot of people are built that way. I am built that way. I am not a fighter to retreat. I am the wall that gets bashed up against when it's time to meet that fire with fire and I will not retreat. And I think that was the recipe for success... If she wants to come and take it, let her come and try. But we're absolutely going to come and meet the monster head-on."

Watch Julianna Pena talk to Brett Okamoto:

---

Can Julianna Pena cause an upset yet again?

Julianna Pena was a massive underdog going into her first fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. She caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport with her win.

'The Venezuelan Vixen' is once again a big underdog despite her win in the first fight. Nunes has been such a dominant champion for so long that it's hard to even consider the thought of the Brazilian losing back-to-back fights.

​

That said, will lightning strike twice? Pena seems confident of getting the better of Nunes yet again. The former champion, meanwhile, will look to prove that the loss in her last fight was a mere blip in her glorious UFC career.

The bantamweight title fight will go down in the main event of UFC 277. The co-headliner will see Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France rematch for the interim flyweight title.

​