DALLAS UFC 277: Nunes vs Pena — Following a “completely dominant” loss to Amanda Nunes in a title match at UFC 277, UFC president Dana White says Julianna Pena needs to put her health first.
UFC 277: Nunes vs Pena
In the highly anticipated rematch in the main event between Pena (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC), Pea (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was unsuccessful and forfeited the women’s bantamweight title by a lopsided unanimous decision on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. She was knocked down three times and badly cut open on the forehead by “The Lioness” over the course of five rounds but fought hard until the bitter end.
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Pena’s Forehead
The damage was apparent, though, and White said post-fight that Peña was immediately transported to a plastic surgeon, and he’s not certain about her future going forward. White stated after the fight that Pea was taken right away to a plastic surgeon because the damage was obvious, but he was unsure of her future.
UFC 277 Press Conference
At the UFC 277 post-fight press conference, White told reporters that Julianna had a significant portion of her forehead missing. “She’s going to see a plastic surgeon right now. (She’ll) take some time to heal, and then I don’t know. She got pretty banged up tonight. It was like five or six knockdowns in the first two rounds. She was hurt. She needs to take some time off, relax, spend some time with her daughter, and then we’ll go from there. “
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White claimed that despite Pena’s fortitude and tenacity in the fight, there wasn’t much else to commend it and that it was Nunes’ night.
White remarked, “I thought it was completely dominant.” In the first two rounds, there were five knockdowns. Attempts at submission and knockdowns are very different from one another. They’re not even comparable. They are not even comparable. She aimed to triumph. She wanted to win. I think as dominant as Amanda was – and she was dominant tonight – I didn’t think it was close in any way, shape or form. It was a complete shutout.