Reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes says Julianna Pena is “delusional” about her chances in their title fight in the co-main event of UFC 269.
Despite Pena (10-4) having split wins and losses over her last four fights, the third-ranked bantamweight finds herself in the enviable position of challenging Nunes (21-4) for the division’s title on Dec. 11. Although The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 winner is a talented fighter and legitimate test for “The Lioness” on Saturday night, she has landed this coveted opportunity by publicly campaigning hard for it. As she made grand claims of being the two-division champions “kryptonite,” and her belief she has all the tools to do what no woman has in seven years and hand Nunes a loss.
The brash talk was clearly a success in scoring her a title shot, but the Brazilian thinks her foe inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. is not right in the head if she actually believes her own rhetoric.
Amanda Nunes says Julianna Pena ‘delusional’ about her chances at UFC 269
“She is delusional. But it doesn’t mean I don’t take her seriously. I do. I trained very hard and very smart for her. But I do [think] a lot of things she says are not true. She’s been delusional. She never was a contender, ever in her life. Her fault. She’s lost [to] many of the opponents I beat already. She’s not all there [in her head],” Nunes told “>TMZ Sports on Wednesday. “She’s a good fighter, yes, but I think she’s been lying about it.”
Pena has incurred just two losses during her eight-fight run in the Octagon. Those setbacks came to former and current champions Germaine de Randamie and Valentina Shevchenko. Two pound-for-pound talents that Nunes has beaten twice each during her UFC career.
The women’s MMA GOAT says Pena ‘makes a lot of mistakes’ in her fights
It’s understandable why Nunes, 33, heads into this fight brimming with confidence. A 12-fight winning streak that includes victories over six current or former UFC champions is good reason to expect another victory. However, it’s not just confidence built on past success. She is sure “The Venezuelan Vixen” will give her “many opportunities” to deliver fight-ending damage, because Nunes says Pena is naturally mistake-prone in her fights.
“I don’t see this fight going to the judges at all. I feel I’m very sharp, [and] I know she’s gonna make a lot of mistakes like she always does. Even in her own game, she makes a lot of mistakes,” said Nunes. “I know I’m gonna catch her many times. I just really have to be sharp in the right moments and I know she’s gonna give me many opportunities because this is how she fights.
“She’s reckless. She doesn’t think about it, she just goes forward on that thing she wants and forgets about anything else. Don’t get me wrong, I still think she’s a very dangerous opponent. She’s a fighter. She has nothing to lose and she’s gonna bring everything she has. [But] this belt’s not gonna go anywhere.”
UFC 269 takes place on Saturday night and kicks off with preliminary action at 6:15 pm on ESPN+. The US $69.99 main card pay-per-view then follows at 10 pm. The event is headlined by a light title bout pitting champion Charles Oliveira versus top-contender Dustin Poirier.
Do you agree that Pena is delusional about her chances on Saturday night?
