- Peña clears the air on how serious her injuries are
- Peña starts the campaign for a trilogy fight with Nunes
The main event of this past weekend’s UFC 277 card did not disappoint the fans. An all-out brawl between former champion Julianna Peña and new champion Amanda Nunes showed how tough the ladies in the UFC bantamweight division are. Both fighters came out of the bout bloodied and swollen. UFC president Dana White said afterward that Peña had a “chunk” missing from her forehead. Both Peña and Nunes seemed to take a great deal of damage to their faces in the fight.
Julianna Peña plays down the severity of her forehead gash
Despite what White said about the seriousness of the injury sustained by Peña, she took to her personal Instagram to clear the air on just how deep the gash was on her forehead.
“Tougher than a two dollar steak. Thanks for the love everyone! Just a cat scratch that required a few stitches, no chunks missing, no surgery necessary. Love you all! We’re 1-1 now #peopleschamp #trilogy #penavsnunes3 #lfg Best compliment of the day from my boy @mikemav22.”
Peña is wasting no time and has already begun her campaign for a rematch
With Peña’s injured not needing surgery to heal up, she appears to be ready to get the ball rolling on a potential rematch. Coming into this rematch Peña seemed confident that the first win was not a fluke. Despite the talk that Nunes’ training camp for the first fight had been tainted in a way and that she was not prepared the first time, Peña knew she had what it takes to beat Nunes again. Now that Nunes is once again holding the strap, Peña has not lost her drive.
Of course in the UFC trilogies are a welcome commodity. Recently we saw Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3, Figueiredo vs. Moreno 3, and Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3. With the history of dominance from Nunes in recent years, it might be in the UFC’s best interest to run this one back again considering Peña was the only woman to beat Nunes in six years. Only time will tell if this is the path the UFC will consider going forward.
There is a second trilogy option that could be intriguing to fans and the UFC. Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko have a long history together. The third fight between them has been teased for some time and now could be the moment for it all to come to fruition. Both ladies are at the top of their games and fighting one another could be the biggest women’s bout in the UFC at this time.
