Julianna Pena takes shot at Amanda Nunes holding UFC featherweight title: “Can you name anyone else in the division?”

By Josh Evanoff - April 5, 2022

Julianna Pena is set to rematch UFC featherweight champion, Amanda Nunes, later this year. However, the bantamweight titleholder doesn’t really see it as a “champion vs. champion” clash.

Amanda Nunes, Julianna Pena

‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ first clashed with ‘The Lioness’ at UFC 269 in December 2021. Despite being a massive underdog, Pena preserved through a first-round knockout to win in the second round via submission. With the win, she captured the UFC bantamweight title and ended Nunes’s five-year run with the belt.

Following the upset victory, the two coached the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. Now, Pena and Nunes are expected to rematch later this year for the UFC’s 135-pound title. While the latter still holds her featherweight crown, the bantamweight champion doesn’t see it as special.

In an interview with The Schmo, Julianna Pena took a shot at Amanda Nunes’ 145-pound title. She opined that the division itself isn’t a real weight class, and noted how the champion is the only fighter there.

The featherweight weight class has been criticized in the past, as it is the only division to not have rankings due to a lack of fighters. According to the UFC’s website, 145-pounds only has seven active competitors, excluding Nunes.

Julianna Pena, Amanda Nunes, UFC 269

Julianna Pena stops Amanda Nunes at UFC 269

“Well, Let’s talk about this for a second. Holly [Holm] and Germaine [De Randamie] both said they’re not going back to featherweight at 145, they’re going to stay true bantamweights at 135. Megan Anderson retired, and Felica Spencer retired. Can you name anyone else in the division other than Amanda? She’s a champ in the 145-pound division of who? Yeah, I mean she says she’s still the champ of a division of one person. So, that’s nice.”

What do you think about Julianna Pena’s comments? Do you think she’ll defeat Amanda Nunes’ in their rematch later this year?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Amanda Nunes Julianna Pena UFC