"That would have caught Julianna Pena off guard" - Michael Bisping explains how Amanda Nunes' southpaw stance possibly derailed her opponent's gameplan
Michael Bisping has detailed how Amanda Nunes' southpaw stance completely put Julianna Pena off her game during their fight at UFC 277.
In a new episode of the Believe You Me podcast, Bisping praised Nunes for using her experience in making minor adjustments to her gameplan by saying:
"When the fight started, Nunes was standing southpaw and that would have caught Julianna Pena off guard. Pena, she's more of a wrestler I think that was her start into mixed martial arts. When you're fighting an orthodox fighter, there's a set of rules, a set of techniques, and certain shots that you can use."
Bisping added:
"When the opponent stands southpaw, everything kind of changes and it can throw you off if you're not used to fighting southpaws. Of course, Nunes is very, very experienced, she's been doing this a long time as a two-way division champion and Pena I wasn't sure if she was able to handle the southpaw stance of Nunes."
The Brazilian's change in gameplan worked tremendously as she dominated the fight with the judges scoring it 50-45, 50-44 and 50-43 in her favor. Interestingly, Nunes dropped Pena five times in the first half, followed up by her wrestling in the second half as she avenged her upsetting loss at UFC 269.
Watch Bisping discuss Amanda Nunes' gameplan at UFC 277 below:
Amanda Nunes becomes first-ever two-time champ-champ
Nunes became the third UFC two-division champion in 2018 when she knocked out Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 back in 2018. She joined an elite list of fighters with only Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo and Conor McGregor to win titles in two divisions.
AMANDA NUNES REGAINS HER CHAMP-CHAMP STATUS 🏆 🏆 #UFC277 https://t.co/SDpeLC0wQG
However, after her rematch win, Nunes is now the first-ever two-time double champ to reclaim the bantamweight title on Saturday. The Brazilian has been dominant in the featherweight division too, with many failing to see any potential threat to 'The Lioness.'
At the age of 34, Nunes doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. With Nunes leaving ATT to start her own gym, the decision looks like a positive one as she returned to winning ways, moving to 12-1 in her last 13 fights. With Nunes putting away opponents one after the other in her glorious career, it would take a highly skilled fighter to dislodge her from the throne.
Watch Amanda Nunes after reclaiming her 'double-champ' status: