- Mike Tyson was not expecting Julianna Pena to pull off a win against Amanda Nunes
- Pena talked about the production for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter
Julianna Pena shocked the world when she managed to secure a win against Amanda Nunes last December. Going into the bout as a big underdog, very few people expected Pena to come out on top. A man who didn’t believe she could do it was Mike Tyson who recently had a chat with Pena.
Mike Tyson surprised by Pena’s win
In a recent episode of the Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast, Tyson sat down with the current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena. The two talked about various different things ranging from their personal lives, families, and competing as combat sports athletes.
“I told everybody she was gonna kill you!”
To be fair, Tyson wasn’t the only one feeling that way given the vast disparity between the ‘Venezuelan Vixen’ and Nunes. ‘Lioness’ was on a dominant run of a 12-fight win streak that saw her dispatch the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm, and Ronda Rousey.
While the oddsmakers didn’t back Pena in the contest, she turned the world on its head when she submitted Nunes via a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Both women are slated to face each other in a rematch and just got done with the production of The Ultimate Fighter.
Pena vs. Nunes: The Ultimate Fighter
Being the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter, Pena will return for another season against Nunes as a coach. The 32-year-old revealed that the 30th season of the show has been wrapped up now. On being probed about the winner, Pena refused to spoil the fun as she encouraged everyone to tune in.
Nunes was criticized after the loss by UFC president Dana White stating that she did not look like herself. White speculated whether she didn’t put the work in based on her depleting gas tank. Nunes had moved away from American Top Team to train at a private gym in an attempt to spend more time with her family.
Pena talked about rematches with Tyson and the two bonded over a shared sense of mentorship from their respective coaches. Much has been made about the likely outcome of Pena’s rematch with Nunes.
Many believe Nunes will snatch her belt back after dropping one in carelessness but Pena is confident she’ll keep her strap.
