5 things Amanda Nunes has to do differently to beat Julianna Pena in their rematch

Amanda Nunes is arguably the most dominant fighter in the history of women's MMA. Her power is fearsome and her skillset is well-rounded as she is comfortable both striking and grappling. She has more victories over champions than any other fighter in women's MMA, but her shocking loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 revealed that Nunes might have been a victim of her own success.

While Pena fought valiantly, weathering the early storm of Amanda Nunes' power-punching, many questioned how seriously Nunes might have taken the bout. Though the Brazilian has never been known to possess long-lasting cardio, her conditioning seemed to be a step off in her matchup with Pena.

In addition to her conditioning, this list aims to address everything Nunes may need to do in order to win her rematch with Pena at UFC 277.

#5. Amanda Nunes must improve her conditioning

Often-times, possessing incredible knockout power comes at a cost, with the body trading its more oxidative, slow-contracting muscle fibers for the fast-twitch muscle fibers seen in more explosive athletes.

Thus, fighters with above-average explosiveness and high punching power usually possess poorer cardio compared to less powerful punchers. However, the conditioning Nunes exhibited at UFC 269 was shocking.

Joe Rogan on Amanda Nunes gassing out in the second and standing right in front of her opponent

“It’s inexcusable”

#UFC #UFC269 https://t.co/IHWSmkJKCP

By the second round, she had slowed down considerably. This was a curious sight considering her five-round victories over Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Germaine de Randamie, and Felicia Spencer.

Seeing her struggle as early as the second frame is a likely indicator that she might not have worked as much at maintaining her conditioning in preparation for her bout against Pena. For her rematch, she will have to do more cardio-intensive work to at least match the conditioning she's exhibited in past fights.