Covid-19 put Julianna Pena’s championship fight against Amanda Nunes on hold after Amanda tested positive for the virus before UFC 265 on August 7th. Now, the battle between Pena and Nunes has officially become rebooked for UFC 269.
UFC President Dana White shared that Julianna asked him when the fight could be rescheduled nonstop. She even showed up to the UFC 265 presser and confronted Dana about the matchup disguised as a media member.
“Julianna Pena has been texting all of us all night,” White said. “She’s been busy tonight. Yeah, we could do that,” finished Dana in the post-fight press conference.”
Pena vs Nunes Rebooked for UFC 269
Now, Julianna has a date set in stone courtesy of the UFC’s social media.
The UFC BW title is back on the books for December 🗓
👊 @Amanda_Leoa and @VenezuelanVixen are set to square off at #UFC269. pic.twitter.com/ANSTPeqyYX
— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2021
“The UFC BW title is back on the books for December. Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) and Julianna Pena (@VenezuelanVixen)
are set to square off at #UFC269.”
Nunes was expected to defend her bantamweight title against Peña in the co-main event of UFC 265 on August 7th. The fight would have marked the fifth defense of her 135lb crown.
Tale of the Tape
Amanda Nunes completely dominated Megan Anderson during their featherweight title fight at UFC 259. It only took The Lioness 2 minutes to dismantle Anderson. Amanda cracked Megan on the feet to a wobbled state, then took her back and quickly submitted her.
Commentators and fans across the globe wondered what could be next for “The Lioness” as she’s seemingly accomplished everything in the sport. However, Julianna Pena mentioned wanting a crack at Nunes since her scheduled bout against Holly Holm fell out due to injury.
Julianna is currently ranked fifth in the bantamweight division. Additionally, she’s coming off a submission victory over Sara McMann at UFC 257. Pena has also expressed frustration in having to wait for Nunes on numerous occasions. To her knowledge, she even believes that Nunes isn’t taking the fight seriously and is “barely training in the gym.”
For now, Pena can continue her quest for bantamweight gold in peace.
