"She may have given Amanda a two-hour headstart to recover" - Was Julianna Pena's last-minute weigh-in at 134.5 pounds a play? Daniel Cormier discusses the implicationsÂ
Former UFC double-champ Daniel Cormier recently offered his take on the delay of Julianna Pena's weigh-in ahead of UFC 277. He discussed the implications of Pena weighing in towards the end of the process, inadvertently offering Amanda Nunes a headstart to kick off her recovery process before the fight.
Pena and Nunes are inching closer towards their heavily anticipated rematch, which is scheduled to take place in the main event of the pay-per-view. The action is set to unfold at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, July 30.
Cormier discussed Pena's weigh-in with Laura Sanko and Kevin Holland during the UFC 277: Live Weigh-In Show after being asked whether the defending women's bantamweight champion was playing games by delaying her weigh-in.
He previously postulated that Pena might have been showing off her authority as a champion by making everyone wait for her weigh-in. He alternatively surmised that the delay offered Nunes more time to recover compared to Pena.
"She's a half pound underweight. If you're a half pound underweight, you could have done that 45 minutes ago. But I mean, if she's not, now she may have given Amanda a two-hour headstart to recover."
Check out the full video of the UFC 277: Live Weigh-In Show below:
Julianna Pena rules out potential fights against Valentina Shevchenko and Kayla Harrison
UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena recently offered her opinion on her future in the promotion. While in conversation with Full Send MMA, Pena ruled out potential fights against Valentina Shevchenko and Kayla Harrison.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' declared that the UFC bantamweight division was the deepest division in women's MMA, arguing that no other division in the promotion could offer her the same challenge as her current weight class.
She also justified her decision to dismiss a fight against 'Bullet' by claiming that the flyweight champion could not overcome the challenge presented by Nunes inside the octagon.
"[Valentina Shevchenko] went running to 125, because she couldn't get done what I did in one fight against [Amanda Nunes]. She couldn't get it done in two fights. Kayla Harrison — she can't make weight. She's not a part of the promotion."
Check out Julianna Pena's full interview with Full Send MMA below: