Was Amanda Nunes' loss to Julianna Pena more than a bad day at work? TUF 30 contestant shares insight (Exclusive)
Amanda Nunes is set to return to the octagon later this year for a highly anticipated fight against Julianna Pena.
The two have fought twice in the past, once in 2021 and then again in 2022. Their first fight proved to be one of the biggest upsets in the history of the UFC. Julianna Pena defeated 'The Lioness' via submission in the second round of the fight.
When the two squared off again, Amanda Nunes reclaimed her bantamweight gold with a dominant performance. She made it clear that their first fight was just a bad day at the office for her. Speaking about their UFC 269 bout, TUF 30's Team Nunes contestant Brogan Walker doubled down on the sentiment and suggested that it was just a bad night for the UFC women's bantamweight champion.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Brogan Walker had this to say:
"After my fight against Juliana [Miller], Amanda called me and the first thing she said to me was, 'That wasn't you.' And I kind of feel like coming from her, she understands that some nights you don't, it's not your night, you can't pull it out and so I think that's what had happened to her."
Catch the comments below (8:25):
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena: 'The Lioness' plans to dominate Pena at UFC 289
Amanda Nunes is arguably the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time. 'The Lioness' is the only double champion across the women's divisions and has no intentions of losing any of her belts just yet.
As mentioned earlier, she is set to return to the octagon later this year at UFC 289 to face Julianna Pena once again. With both of them winning one bout each, the stakes have never been higher for them.
Going into the trilogy, Amanda Nunes is planning to dominate Pena and get her hands raised by any means. Speaking during an interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN MMA, 'The Lioness' said:
"Obviously it's five rounds, you know, I look for that and it's going to be dominating, you know? If I have the opportunity to finish her, I will decide and finish her. So whatever happens, I'm gonna be the one who's gonna have the hand raised at the end of the night."
Catch Nunes' comments below (1:52):