Julianna Peña won’t be letting Amanda Nunes shy away from a rematch.
The biggest upset of 2021 was when Julianna Peña took down bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. Since that win, Peña has not let up on her former opponent. She is welcoming of a rematch and has no doubt that she can win once again.
Although Peña has been very vocal since her win, Nunes has been on the quiet side. Peña, who spoke recently on The Joe Rogan Experience, has laid down the consequences for Nunes in the event she opts not to have the rematch.
“Well, somebody suggested, ‘Well, what if [Nunes] doesn’t decide to take the fight with you and decides to take an easier fight at ’45 and retires into the sunset?’ I’m like, she can’t,” Peña said. “She can’t do that. She would look like the biggest coward on Earth.”
Since the loss, Nunes has not been making many statements publically. She did, however, decide to leave her longtime gym ATT to begin the process of starting her own team. Nunes, of course, still holds the featherweight belt and has a duty to defend that as well.
The idea of Nunes retiring soon is not that far-fetched, either. She has been fighting in the UFC since 2013. She won the bantamweight title in 2016 and followed it up by winning the featherweight belt two years later. Nunes is currently the top female on many people’s GOAT lists.
There have been some rumors that Peña and Nunes are frontrunners for coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Peña got her start in the UFC as a fighter on TUF in a season that was coached by Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. This would be a full-circle situation for Peña, who would welcome the opportunity.
Do you think Amanda Nunes will agree to an immediate rematch with Julianna Peña?
