UFC 269: Kamaru Usman, Daniel Cormier, Cris Cyborg and other UFC fighters react to Julianna Pena's massive upset win over Amanda Nunes

Julianna Pena stunned the mixed martial arts world by defeating Amanda Nunes via submission at UFC 269. She sunk in a rear-naked choke in the second round to win the belt and dethrone 'The Lioness'.

Pena engaged in a stand-up barnburner with Nunes as both the bantamweight fighters repeatedly landed heavy strikes.

'The Venezuelan Vixen' defeated the long-reigning champion and claimed gold in stunning fashion inside the T-Mobile Arena, leaving those in attendance and fans worldwide in utter disbelief.

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling, former two-division champ Daniel Cormier and Bellator women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg were the first to react to the spectacular UFC 269 co-main event result.

Amanda Nunes will most likely get an immediate rematch with Julianna Pena considering her achievements inside the octagon over the last few years. The Brazilian was riding a 12-fight winning streak going into the bout, with her last defeat coming in 2014.

Amanda Nunes' 12-fight winning streak in the UFC has come to an end

Amanda Nunes is considered the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time. Nunes won the UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight titles, and unlike the other double-champions in the sport, she has been defending both belts.

Julianna Pena became the first fighter to defeat Nunes since Cat Zingano at UFC 178 in September 2014. The 33-year-old superstar was on a dominant 12-bout winning streak going into her title fight at UFC 269.

Hence, Pena's win over Nunes has to be considered as one of the greatest underdog triumphs in the sport. The new champ started the bout as a +600 underdog.

About the author

Dominic Richard is an MMA Writer who joined Sportskeeda in September 2021. He is responsible for contributing news articles and features.

Dominic had previously worked as a reporter and sub-editor for the Sportstar magazine and website (2019-21), The Hindu newspaper and Arsenal Fever fan site (2015-17). He graduated from Chennai's Asian College of Journalism in May 2019.

Away from work, Dom is a sitcom freak whose favourite shows are Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory and its prequel Young Sheldon. He spends the weekends playing football with his friends and does a bit of cycling too.

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"She broke Nunes" - Kamaru Usman, Daniel Cormier, Cris Cyborg and other UFC fighters react to Julianna Pena's massive upset win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 269

Amanda Nunes' 12-fight winning streak in the UFC has come to an end