Nunes gives Pena bantamweight title shot at UFC 265
Amanda Nunes will defend her bantamweight title versus Julianna Pena at UFC 265 in August, president Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
Pena accused Nunes of ducking her a month ago and vowed to force the two-division champion into "the fetal position" if they ever met inside the cage.
Nunes hasn't put the bantamweight belt on the line since December 2019, but she has defended the featherweight championship twice over the last 10 months. She earned a first-round submission victory over Megan Anderson on March 6, though Pena wasn't impressed.
"She knows that, stylistically, I am the worst matchup for her," Pena said days after Nunes' latest triumph.
You NEED to hear how fired up @VenezuelanVixen was when calling out Amanda Nunes 😳
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 10, 2021
(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/MSmWrQZ9p6
Nunes is riding a 12-match win streak, picking up victories over the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and Germaine de Randamie during that stretch. The Brazilian appeared interested in another battle with de Randamie before accepting the Pena bout.
Pena has alternated wins and losses in her last four trips to the Octagon. However, she's coming off a submission victory over Sara McMann at UFC 257 in January. Pena owns a 10-4 record overall.