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#2. UFC bantamweight title: Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena
At this stage, any UFC fight involving Amanda Nunes is an event in its own right. Sure, she’ll never be as big of a star as someone like Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey, but she’s far and away the greatest female fighter in MMA history now, meaning any chance to see her in action is worth it.
Since winning the UFC bantamweight title from Miesha Tate in 2016, she’s wrecked anyone who she’s come up against. The 'Lioness’ has beaten the likes of Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Holly Holm. She even became a double champion by taking the UFC featherweight title from Cris Cyborg in 2018.
So can Julianna Pena really provide her with a true challenge? It’s honestly questionable.
‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has done well in the UFC in her own right, putting together a record of 6-2 in between lengthy periods on the shelf due to both injuries and maternity.
Pena’s style is a simple one. She looks to drag her opponents to the ground, dominate them from the top and beat them up for either a TKO or submission.
A functional striker at best, Pena is excellent on the ground, but she’s also shown a strange penchant for being caught in submissions from the bottom, usually due to her own aggression.
Will that matter against Nunes? It feels unlikely, purely because ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ may well be unable to take her down in the first place. The 'Lioness’ is remarkably strong for a 135lber and while she hasn’t fought too many wrestlers, she’s still a fantastic grappler who rarely ends up on the bottom.
Sure, the fact that the only woman to beat her in the UFC, Cat Zingano, did so by punishing her from the mount will probably give Pena some hope, but it’s also worth remembering that Nunes blew up in that fight in her attempt to finish Zingano early. Since then she’s more than polished her skills up and she’s also gone five rounds with no real issues on multiple occasions since.
Overall, this one looks like business as usual for Nunes. It’s likely she’ll keep this one on the feet and put Pena to sleep at some point in the early rounds.
The Pick: Nunes via second-round KO
