Julianna Pena shocked the world on Saturday night. At UFC 269 in Las Vegas, Pena defeated Amanda Nunes to win the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Pena handed Nunes her first loss since September 2014. Nunes was a two-division champion before losing the bantamweight title as she also holds the featherweight championship belt.
The reason it was a historic upset is Nunes is considered the GOAT of UFC. Pena came into the match as a +575 underdog while Nunes was a -850 favorite, according to CBS Sports. Nunes dominated the first round, but the second round was a different story. Pena landed big shots to Nunes’ face leading her to take her down. Nunes submitted to Pena at 3:26 in Round 2.
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“Everybody thinks I am just only versed on the ground or that I’m just a ground person, but in mixed martial arts you have to be versed everywhere: on the feet, in the clinch, and I’m confident on the ground,” Pena told reporters after the match, per MMA Junkie. “Wherever the fight goes, I’m comfortable. Amanda’s been such a great champion, and she’s done so much for the sport, so for me to take down arguably the greatest of all time is something that’s still sinking in right now.”
For Nunes, she made no excuses. “Honestly, it’s no surprise at all,” Nunes said in her interview following the fight, per MMA Junkie. “I know she’s a warrior. I know she can come forward, and I know she can get hit and still keep moving forward. “I just today checked out. I still need to work on a couple of things. I’m going to keep working until I fix them, and soon I will come back to the gym and come back here. Thank you guys for all the cheers. I’ll see you guys all again soon.” Before the loss, Nunes won her last 12 fights and defeated talented fighters such as Cris Cyborg Misha Tate, Ronda Rousey, and current WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler.
“The UFC actually needs to create a new belt for me and it’s got to be ‘Baddest Mom on the Planet,’” Pena said, per Yahoo Sports. “I’m not trying to take anything away from Amanda; she’s a wonderful mother. But I gave birth to my daughter. I feel like for giving birth, I am the first Mom Champ. That means a lot to me.”
