UFC 289’s Amanda Nunes couldn’t retire and ‘leave my belt with Julianna Pena’ after loss: ‘She’s not that good’

Amanda Nunes might have been nearer to retiring than many realized following her loss to Julianna Pena in Dec. 2021.

The combined martial arts (MMA) world was flipped the other way up at UFC 269 to shut out the 2021 calendar 12 months. After a tough first-round beating from the dual-division champion, Nunes, Pena rallied strongly within the second to complete “The Lionness” with a rear-naked choke (watch highlights), changing into the primary new girls’s Bantamweight titleholder since Miesha Tate in July 2016.

Sadly for Pena, the pair’s rematch performed out loads otherwise in Aug. 2022. Nunes battered the “Venezuelan Vixen” all through 5 rounds, incomes a unanimous choice win and reclaiming her 135-pound title (watch highlights). The all-time nice admits that had that loss come in opposition to anybody else, that very effectively might have been it for her contained in the Octagon.

“I made a decision to not retire as a result of I couldn’t depart my belt with Julianna, no approach,” Nunes stated at UFC 289 media day. “No approach. It may be with someone else however with Julianna? No. I do know I can kick her ass any time I would like. That day was a day that I believe she was alleged to win that day, I used to be alleged to make the error that I made to battle with out being in my nice form and I paid for it and I’m by no means gonna try this once more. Ever. Ever, ever, ever.

“She’s not that good, ?” she continued. “She’s not that good and that was laborious to swallow. She’s loopy. She strikes ahead to punch and simply be robust and have the belt. She will get hit and no, it’s like no approach. I knew I’m gonna return there and get the belt once more.”

Nunes and Pena had been initially scheduled to settle their 1-1 rating at UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada this weekend (Sat., June 10, 2023). That was till a rib injury pressured Pena out of the trilogy, resulting in Mexico’s Irene Aldana saving the day in her first profession UFC title alternative.

LIVE! Watch UFC 289 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

OCTAGON RETURNS TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH! Final Combating Championship (UFC) returns to Canada for the primary time in virtually 4 years when it hosts UFC 289 inside Rogers Area in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sat., June 10, 2023. In UFC 289’s pay-per-view (PPV) fundamental occasion, girls’s Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, will lock horns with No. 5-ranked 135-pound contender, Irene Aldana, whereas former Light-weight kingpin and present No. 1-seeded contender, Charles Oliveira, battles No. 4-ranked Beneil Dariush within the co-feature with 155-pound title implications on the road.

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of the complete UFC 289 battle card RIGHT HERE, beginning with the early “Prelims” matches at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, adopted by the remaining “Prelims” undercard steadiness at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, earlier than the ultimate PPV fundamental card begin time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To take a look at the most recent and biggest UFC 289: “Nunes vs. Aldana” information and notes you should definitely hit up our complete occasion archive proper here. For the up to date and finalized UFC 289 battle card and PPV lineup click on here.