Getty Amanda Nunes of Brazil exchanges strikes with Julianna Pena in their bantamweight title bout during UFC 277.
UFC president Dana White revealed that Julianna Pena lost a “big chunk of her forehead.”
This past Saturday, former UFC women’s bantamweight queen Pena took on the reigning two-division champion Amanda Nunes in the headlining bout of UFC 277 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Nunes returned to her very best in the historical rematch to secure a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards over Pena.
During the post-fight press conference at UFC 277, it was announced that Pena would not be joining the proceedings because of the damage she had taken in the main event outing. She was immediately transferred to a plastic surgeon for a checkup, and it appears that he has doubts about her future ahead.
White informed the reporters about Pena’s health: “Julianna’s got a big chunk missing from her forehead,” White said (ht Mike Bohn/Matthew Wells MMA Junkie). “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.”
White Believes Nunes Did Not Leave Any Doubts
Pena’s incredible durability was admired by her fellow fighters and members of the community. She survived where most would not have but failed to succeed in the end on a night that clearly belonged to Nunes.
White labeled it to be “a complete shutdown,” and argued that Pena’s submission attempts didn’t hold the same weight as Nunes’ knockdowns.
“I thought it was completely dominant,” White said. “There was five knockdowns in the first two rounds. There’s a big difference between submission attempts and knockdowns. They’re not even comparable.
“Julianna’s tough as nails and her will to win is second-to-none. 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.”
A Historical Night for Nunes at UFC 277
It was another one for the record books for the Brazilian, who’s widely considered as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time. She seemed to be in top form to get back to winning ways at UFC 277.
Nunes’ striking looked sublime from the start as she got the better of most exchanges early on. Although Pena was able to connect with a few shots of her own, “Lioness” proved to be too much for “Venezuelan Vixen.”
In the second round, Nunes knocked down Pena three times, breaking the record for the most knockdowns in the women’s history of the UFC. Pena stayed resilient until the very end despite getting wobbled on a number of occasions. She endured a nasty cut on the forehead caused due to Nunes’ vicious elbows on the ground.
In a fight that went the distance, Nunes won by a one-sided unanimous decision, with the three judges scoring the bout 50-45, 50-44, and 50-43.