At UFC 277 last night (Saturday, July 30, 2022), Amanda Nunes took back the women’s 135-pound belt with a strong performance that saw “Laionia” knock Pena down multiple times early in their fight (see highlights here). There was no finish though, just 25 minutes of punishment, which will require a trip to the plastic surgeon for Pena. UFC president Dana White shared the details during the UFC 277 post-fight press conference (watch it here). “Yeah, Juliana’s missing a big chunk of her forehead,” White said. “He’s going to see a plastic surgeon right now. Take some time to heal and then I don’t know. She was beaten quite a bit tonight. It was like five or six knockdowns in the first two rounds. She was hurt. She needs to take some time off and relax, spend some time with her daughter and then we’ll go from there.” The one word that kept coming up in White’s review of the fight was “dominant.” “I thought it was completely dominant,” he said. “There were five knockdowns in the first two rounds… There’s a big difference between submission attempts and knockdowns. It’s not even comparable. “I think two things: Juliana is tough as nails and her will to win is second to none,” he continued. “I mean, he wanted to win. I think as dominant as Amanda was – and she was dominant, I didn’t think it was narrow shape or form, she was completely closed – she still seemed a little shy to me. But, going up against a guy who hit you the first time, I can see that happening. But, it’s silly for me to say, it was an absolutely dominant performance.” White speculated that Nunes was being extra careful to make sure she didn’t suddenly run out of gas like she did in her first fight against Pena, which resulted in her losing via naked choke in the second round. “Yeah, I think she was worried about her cardio, probably,” he said. “Because when you think about the way she fought Cyborg, she usually comes in and throws tons of punches. He’d hurt Juliana plenty of times, driven her crazy a few times, and never really gone in for the kill.” While White agreed that Nunes had bought some time, she also teased that a third fight with women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko could be next. Looks like Amanda has decided to completely copy my stand up game Great battle both ladies! #UFC277 — Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) July 31, 2022 “Yeah, not a bad idea,” White said when the fight was proposed. “Normally I’d be like, ‘Come on, man.’ Not a bad idea. I mean, really, when you think about it. I’m not saying yes, I’m just saying it’s not a bad idea.” To see the latest and top UFC 277 news and notes: ‘Pena vs. Nunes 2,” be sure to check out our complete event archive here.
