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Amanda Nunes is arguably the most dominant fighter in the history of women's MMA. Her power is fearsome and her skillset is well-rounded as she is comfortable both striking and grappling. She has more victories over champions than any other fighter in women's MMA, but her shocking loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 revealed that Nunes might have been a victim of her own success.
While Pena fought valiantly, weathering the early storm of Amanda Nunes' power-punching, many questioned how seriously Nunes might have taken the bout. Though the Brazilian has never been known to possess long-lasting cardio, her conditioning seemed to be a step off in her matchup with Pena.
In addition to her conditioning, this list aims to address everything Nunes may need to do in order to win her rematch with Pena at UFC 277.
#5. Amanda Nunes must improve her conditioning
Often-times, possessing incredible knockout power comes at a cost, with the body trading its more oxidative, slow-contracting muscle fibers for the fast-twitch muscle fibers seen in more explosive athletes.
Thus, fighters with above-average explosiveness and high punching power usually possess poorer cardio compared to less powerful punchers. However, the conditioning Nunes exhibited at UFC 269 was shocking.
By the second round, she had slowed down considerably. This was a curious sight considering her five-round victories over Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Germaine de Randamie, and Felicia Spencer.
Seeing her struggle as early as the second frame is a likely indicator that she might not have worked as much at maintaining her conditioning in preparation for her bout against Pena. For her rematch, she will have to do more cardio-intensive work to at least match the conditioning she's exhibited in past fights.
#4. Focus on 1-2 combinations
Amanda Nunes is not the most varied striker in the UFC. When it comes to her boxing, she dictates the fight's range with a powerful 1-2 combination. She steps in with her jab to both stun her opponent and measure the distance between them.
However, as the jab is rarely a standalone weapon and lacks the power to keep opponents from coming forward, Nunes paired her jab with a right cross. This is her most reliable combination.
It makes great use of her reach as she is one of the longest fighters in women's MMA. Julianna Pena, by contrast, is not the cleanest striker. She flares her elbows before many of her punches, telegraphing her intent.
Amanda Nunes needs to curb her desire to get into a slugfest with Pena as she did in their first bout. Instead, she'll be better served using her 1-2 at range, countering Pena the moment she flares her elbows.
#3. Nunes must time her low kicks to slow Pena's advance
One aspect of Julianna Pena's game that troubled Nunes the most was her willingness to march forward without fear of reprecussions. Nunes' power was not as great a deterrence as it has been in the past.
By marching forward and closing the distance, Pena shortened the range that's better suited for Amanda Nunes as the longer fighter. Without the space to counter Pena with 1-2 combinations as she stepped in with her elbows flared, Nunes was forced to fight at a range she is unaccustomed to.
To prevent this from happening in the rematch, Amanda Nunes ought to implement her low kicks in a manner different to how she did so in their initial bout.
The 'Lioness; should watch for Pena's flaring elbows and weight placement on her lead leg. The moment Pena extends her stance to throw punches, Nunes ought to counter her with low kicks.
Not only will she kick Pena out of her stance by targeting her lead leg when it's loaded with weight, but the temporary destabilization of Pena's stance will both expose her to counter-punches. That will cause her to be in a poor position to absorb any power from Nunes' follow-up punches.
If she does this enough times, she'll batter Pena's legs, slowing her down while also making her more tentative to step in if she's being countered often.
#2. Pacing herself
While Amanda Nunes' conditioning was not what it usually is in their initial bout, she didn't help matters by chasing the finish as aggressively as she did.
Nunes seemed to fight with the intention of knocking Pena out as early as the first round. This prevented her from pacing herself and approaching the fight in a way wherein she could reliably win rounds on the scorecards.
Pena herself has never been knocked out. Her only TKO loss came from a doctor's stoppage in her pre-UFC career against Sarah Moraes.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' is notoriously difficult to knock out and Nunes would fare better if she doesn't chase a finish in their upcoming matchup. It'll help preserve her gas tank and enable her to pick Pena apart at range.
The finish she was searching for in their first clash will reveal itself if she fights in a more calculated manner.
#1. Nunes must respect Pena
In the lead-up to their UFC 269 bout, Amanda Nunes showed little respect for Pena as an opponent, going so far as to answer Pena's accusations of ducking her by describing her as a fighter who couldn't even make herself a contender to earn a title shot.
By the time the two women stepped into the octagon, Nunes seemed to expect Pena to simply fold before her power, as many of her past foes have.
However, Pena exhibited grit and heart, marching forward with a steely determination. In their rematch, Amanda Nunes will improve her chances of winning by acknowledging Pena as a worthy opponent who must be taken seriously, otherwise she risks losing to her again.
Not taking an opponent seriously often leads to more relaxed training, which causes fighters to be underprepared as they never acknowledge the threats their opponents bring into fights.
