"I had made peace with the fact that I'm going to live. I had made peace with the fact that I'm going to die" - Julianna Pena references Nick Diaz when revealing her mentality just before the Amanda Nunes fight
![Amanda Nunes (left), Julianna Pena (center) & Nick Diaz (right) [Image Credits- @nickdiaz209 on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/b97ba-16590260197248-1920.jpg?w=500)
UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena recently channeled her inner Nick Diaz as she referenced his iconic quote while describing her mental state ahead of her first fight with Amanda Nunes.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' and Amanda Nunes previously featured inside the octagon together at UFC 269. There, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' overcame the challenge presented by the former women's bantamweight champion by way of submission in the second round.
While in conversation with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Pena offered fans some insight into how she was excited for her fight against Nunes.
Recalling Nick Diaz's words, she admitted that she was not excited to get into a fist-fight against Nunes, considering how serious a matter it was. However, she was excited to lay claim to the title and celebrate her success:
"I think that it's a unique feeling because if you ever like listen to Nick Diaz, they'd be like, 'You excited for your fight?' like, 'I don't get excited to get in fist fights bro, like, it's serious'... The feeling in the back was cool, peace, just at peace, you know? I have made peace with the fact that I'm going to live, I have made peace with the fact that I'm going to die and when you make peace with that reality, there's nothing left to fear. So I was just at 110 cool, calm and collected."
Julianna Pena highlights how she succeeded against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269
In the same interaction with Brett Okamoto, Julianna Pena shone a light on the gameplan she had in mind to beat Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. Opening up about the plan, she admitted that she was going to employ the same tactic against 'The Lionness' in their upcoming fight:
"You do not retreat. You stand your ground and if she wants to come take [the title] let her come and try but we're absolutely going to come and meet this monster head on and we got to cut its head off and that was the plan from day one and that's my focus."
Check out Julianna Pena's full interaction with Brett Okaoto below:
Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes are scheduled to run things back at UFC 277 with the UFC women's bantamweight title hanging in the balance. The action is set to unfold at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on July 30.