"Pena failed to make the adjustments throughout the fight" - Rashad Evans explains why Julianna Pena's corner deserves a lot of the blame for her loss to Amanda Nunes
Rashad Evans has explained why Julianna Pena’s corner deserved a lot of the blame for her loss to Amanda Nunes in their rematch at UFC 277. The two bantamweights' first fight witnessed Pena beat Nunes via second-round submission to win the UFC women’s bantamweight title on December 11, 2021.
Their rematch transpired at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022. It saw Amanda Nunes handily out-strike and out-grapple Julianna Pena en route to a unanimous decision win. Speaking to Luke Thomas on his Morning Kombat Youtube channel, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans addressed the UFC 277 matchup and said:
“I feel also a part of it was Pena failed to make the adjustments throughout the fight. And I feel part of it, a lot of the blame, goes to the coaches. And I say that not to try to call any coaches out. But when I’m listening to the corner advice – and I know sometimes you can get so caught up with just being in the fight as a corner-person – but I felt as if like, Pena’s corner wasn’t giving her clear instructions on how to close the distance in an effective kind of way.”
CHAMP CHAMP ONCE AGAIN! 👑👑
[ @Amanda_Leoa | #UFC277 ] https://t.co/2nK2tb7xk0
Rashad Evans suggested that Pena's coaches from the SikJitsu and Gregory Boxing camps simply advised her to close the distance. Nevertheless, she was continually countered while being overly aggressive. Evans noted that Pena's corner didn’t provide her a “structured plan” to close the distance.
Furthermore, Evans opined that they could’ve instructed her to lay cover and utilize a triple jab to close the distance. He indicated that Julianna Pena had some success holding Amanda Nunes against the fence and landing pop shots but failed to capitalize on it.
Watch Evans discuss the topic at 6:51 in the video below:
Julianna Pena refutes Dana White’s claims, calls for trilogy against Amanda Nunes
In the aftermath of Julianna Pena’s loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277, UFC president Dana White claimed that Pena “has a big chunk missing from her forehead” and might need plastic surgery. However, Pena later took to Instagram and contradicted White’s claims. In an Instagram post, Pena called for a trilogy fight against Nunes and stated:
"Tougher than a two dollar steak. Thanks for the love everyone! Just a cat scratch that required a few stitches, no chunks missing, no surgery necessary. Love you all! We’re 1-1 now #peopleschamp #trilogy #penavsnunes3 #lfg Best compliment of the day from my boy @mikemav22"
Presently, it’s unclear whether the UFC will book a third Nunes-Pena fight right away. Many believe that Nunes could instead face longtime rival and UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at bantamweight next.