Julianna Pena won’t get a chance at a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes and she’s not happy about it.
Nunes called it a career following her dominant victory against Irene Aldana at UFC 289.
“Double champion forever,” Nunes said. “This is the perfect night to retire.”
Pena was originally scheduled to face Nunes at the event but had to pull out after breaking her ribs. With Nunes laying down her gloves in the octagon, it’s an opportunity Pena won’t get back. The “Venezuelan Vixen” unleashed on Nunes in a series of tweets following the announcement from Nunes.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Pena tweeted, which was her first message on the platform in weeks.
She continued with some sharper comments.
“I scared you so bad into retirement. Personally, Congratulations. Professionally, wtf was that?” Pena tweeted.
Prior to Nunes’ announcement, Pena had been adamant that the trilogy would happen, citing her win inside the distance at UFC 269.
“She did not stop me. I was able to stop her, I was able to put her in the hospital, and nobody else can say that,” Pena said at the UFC’s fan Q&A in Vancouver on June 9. “I said that she was one foot out the door already and that she was already planning her retirement and going off into the sunset — and not if I have my way. Absolutely not. I’m not done with her. This is unfinished business.”
Amanda Nunes on Julianna Pena: ‘I Can Kick Her A** Anytime I want’
Pena shocked Nunes in December of 2021 with a win by submission. Nunes roared back in July of 2022, winning by unanimous decision to get her belt back. Nunes has been weighing retirement for a bit but knew for a certainty she couldn’t do it without getting her belt back from Pena.
“I decided to not retire, because if I retire, I leave my belt with Julianna,” Nunes told reporters on June 8. “No way. No way. It can be with somebody else, but with Julianna, no.”
Pena was thoroughly dominated in her last bout against Nunes, with the scorecards reading 50-45, 50-43 and 50-44. But that hasn’t kept her from talking her share of smack lately, questioning the Nunes’ star power.
“Ronda [Rousey] had such a massive following. She was main-eventing everything. And then if you go to Amanda’s last seven fights, she’s only main-evented twice,” Pena said. “One of them was because of an injury … and the second one was me — and this third one was going to be me but I had to fall out due to injury myself. Me beating her made her relevant again because she hasn’t had the ability to main event in any of her title fights.
Dana White Not Shocked by Amanda Nunes Retirement
The UFC loses one of its largest draws on the women’s side with Nunes stepping away but Dana White was not shocked by the announcement.
“This must be what Amanda wants,” White said in the postfight news conference. “I’m definitely happy for her. Would I like to see her stick around and do some more? Absolutely. I love the kid. She’s been incredible to work with. She’s been such a good human being and great champion.”
Nunes calls it a career with an unrivaled resue. She has the most wins in UFC women’s history (16); the most UFC title fight wins among women in history (11); and the most finishes in UFC women’s history (10).
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Julianna Pena Rips Amanda Nunes Over UFC Retirement