5 things Amanda Nunes has to do differently to beat Julianna Pena in their rematch

#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.

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#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.