Why You’re Wrong About The Rematch | A Peña For My Thoughts

On behalf of all UFC fans, I’d like to thank Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev for providing July’s only main event of note. Having endured Adesanya’s slowdance with Jared Cannonier, the more recent round one injures suffered by Brian Ortega and Tom Aspinall haven’t allowed much relief.

The month will be closed out by UFC 277, headlined by Julianna Peña and her rematch with Amanda Nunes. Social media rumblings amongst MMA fans suggest that the winds won’t change this weekend, and that this main event is not worthy of it’s place at the head of the pay-per-view card.

Adesanya’s comfortable win wasn’t a surprise to many, but when Julianna Peña submitted Amanda Nunes in the second round of their December 2021 bout, the entire MMA world was stunned. With the expection of Julianna Peña of course.

This weekend sees the rematch of arguably the greatest upset in UFC history, and it’s a fight worthy of being highly anticipated. Sure, you’re probably thinking Nunes will reclaim her belt in typical Nunes fashion, but did you think Peña was going to win last time around?

Amanda Nunes is the greatest female athlete MMA has ever seen. Going into her December title defence, she was on a 12-fight win streak and the champion of both the women’s bantamweight and featherweight divisions. With wins against names like Rousey, Shevchenko, Holm, Tate and Cyborg on her resume, nobody thought Peña could provide answers to any of the questions Nunes would ask. But as you’re well aware, Peña brought questions of her own.

Having written her off before, the ease with which fight fans have been quick to rule Peña out again has been baffling. This rematch has huge significance for the future of the women’s bantamweight division, and has all of the ingredients to cook up an absolute classic.

Nunes wants her belt back, and will have aspirations of getting back on the track of building her dynasty as the greatest female fighter in history. But Peña will be full of confidence, more so than before. She knows she can beat Nunes, she’s done it before, and this weekend is her chance to prove it wasn’t a fluke.

Peña’s confidence was on display in the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, with her team finding much more success than Team Nunes.

The TUF 30 finales make up part of the following weekends card, but for now, all eyes should be on one of the biggest rematches in UFC history. If Peña wins again, everything changes.

Prediction: Peña via TKO/KO