"A little bit of ego" - Michael Bisping reflects on Amanda Nunes' shocking loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269
Michael Bisping stated that "a little bit of ego" might have played a part in Amanda Nunes' loss to Julianna Pena.
'The Count' broke down the UFC 269 co-main event in the latest episode of the Believe You Me podcast. While analyzing the bantamweight championship fight between Nunes and Pena, Bisping said that 'The Lioness' might have stepped off the gas a little bit, saying:
"We're only human. The confidence comes in. She [Nunes] hasn't been beaten since 2014, something like 12 in a row... She went out there and dominated the first round. Made it look like she was a way better fighter... Even when Juliana tried to take her down, she hip-tossed her and got on top. But she got tired... There were strategic errors. She'll probably know that... Nunes didn't make any changes and maybe a little bit of ego takes over."
The Brit went into greater detail on some of Nunes' tactical mistakes. He noted that the Brazilian star attempted to repeatedly land power shots and ended up on the receiving end of Pena's jab every time.
"What happened was she kept trying to go in with the right hand every time and Pena's jab was beating her. And for about four or five attempts she kept trying to come in with a big power shot and Pena was jabbing her... I think Pena has a longer reach and the jab with the lead hand is going to hit closer than the right hand... Nunes kept going in on a straight line. There were no angles. There was no head movement."
Check out Bisping's breakdown of Amanda Nunes vs. Juliana Pena below:
Daniel Cormier reacts to Julianna Pena's upset win over Amanda Nunes
Daniel Cormier, who was commentating at UFC 269, admitted to being shellshocked when Julianna Pena dethroned Amanda Nunes and seized the bantamweight championship. He called the fight one of the most exciting he had ever seen.
A +660 underdog going into the bout, Pena's victory was one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Cormier said that Nunes looked like she had "seen a ghost" when she couldn't finish 'The Venezuelan Vixen.' He said:
"She took her out of her comfort zone, she did not allow Amanda to dictate anything and she wasn't willing to take a backstep. When you're not willing to take a backstep, you can do anything. She got hit with some massive shots. And when Amanda Nunes saw that she couldn't get Julianna Pena out of there, guys, I'm telling you, next to the octagon I looked at her face [and] it was almost like Amanda Nunes had seen a ghost."
Check out Cormier's breakdown of Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena below: