Amanda Nunes is open to facing Claressa Shields in the future (Image credit: Getty)
Two-division UFC women’s champion Amanda Nunes will be defending her bantamweight title against Julianna Pena at UFC 265 in August, this year.
Arguably the greatest women’s fighter in UFC history, Amanda Nunes has demolished any opponent that has come in her path. Even UFC President Dana White is often left dazed as to whom the Brazilian should be paired up against since she eases past almost anyone.
And her indomitable prowess came to the fore at the recently concluded UFC 259 as well, as she made ‘double-quick’ work of an unbelievably tall and powerful Megan Anderson, winning via. submission in the very first round..
Nunes is now set to take on number 6 ranked women’s bantamweight Julianna Pena at UFC 265 in August, later this year. It is a fight that ‘The Lioness’ initially didn’t want since Pena had suffered a submission loss to Germaine de Randamie, whom Nunes had defeated with ease at UFC 245.
The news was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN, saying that President Dana White had confirmed the fight taking place at UFC 265.
His tweet read :
“The Lioness will make her return to the bantamweight division in August. Per Dana White (@danawhite), Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) will defend her 135-pound title against Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) at UFC 265.”
Nunes took to Twitter to react to the news of the announcement, tweeting:
Pena is coming off a victory over Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann. She beat her via. a rear naked choke at UFC 257. And, ever since then she has been wanting to fight ‘The Lioness’, being extremely vocal in her callouts.
During March, Pena appeared in Ariel Helwani’s MMA show, and claimed that she has to be the worst matchup for Nunes stylistically, before going to take a shot at the MMA community for believing that Nunes would ‘murder her in the ring’.
Pena also felt that double-champ gasses out pretty quickly.
Pena said:
“I am stylistically the worst matchup for her possible. Yes, the girl [Nunes] gasses when she walks up a flight of stairs. I mean she comes down to 135lbs, she fights in a five-round fight, she’s gonna gas. So it’s a terrible matchup for her. She knows it, I know it, the rest of the public doesn’t know it. They think I’m gonna get murdered. But if that’s the thing and that’s how she feels, come murder me then. Let’s do this, what’s the hold-up?” [via Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show]
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