Amanda Nunes reclaimed her bantamweight title in convincing fashion from Julianna Pena tonight at UFC 277, flooring her rival numerous times and bloodying her up on the mat on the way to a decisive decision victory.
Round One:
The bantamweight main event is underway in Dallas, Texas.
Nunes takes the center of the Octagon to start. Body kick for Nunes. Stance switches from Nunes as both get off to a tentative start.
Missed right hook for Nunes. Pena backs out of range as Nunes throws a jab. Nunes thought about a kick there and Pena stepped in with a right hand.
Missed head kick attempt from Pena. Right hook and a calf kick from Nunes. Uppercut lands for Nunes as Pena moved into range.
Again Pena steps in and this time Nunes lands a nice jab. Nunes looking crisp so far. Nunes circles away for a moment but then as Pena steps in again Nunes is right on her with clean punches.
Missed head kick from Pena. Pena moves in again and again gets caught by a punch. Now a hook lands for Nunes and knocks Pena off-balance to the mat.
Pena having no success at all when she’s trying to close the distance and as if to prove the point Nunes clips her again with a hook and puts her on a knee for a brief moment.
Pena steps in and lands a punch at last. She swings again as she looks to get some momentum going. Brief flurry from Pena snaps Nunes head back.
Nunes attempts a takedown, but Pena stuffs it and lands again. Now Nunes with a few punches and Pena looked a bit rattled by that.
Round Two:
Body kick for Nunes grazes the target. Now a knee attempt from Nunes. Feints from Pena and then steps into a punch, but Nunes lands a big counter and floors Pena.
Pena stays on her back, but Nunes doesn’t follow her and motions for her to stand. Pena back up, but looks a bit shaken.
Pena charges forward with left and right hands, but Nunes just sits down on a huge counter punch that drops her hard again.
Pena back up. Leg kick for Nunes. Pena presses forward with another flurry of left and right hands with more success this time.
Pena looks to go on the attack again. Bit of hand-fighting here. Pena with a punch. Nunes with a counter right hand now.
Nunes blasts Pena with another counter and puts her on her backside again. Pena tough as nails though and gets back up. She throws a high kick that misses.
Front kick to the body from Pena comes up short. Punch lands for Nunes and wobbles Pena for a brief moment. Pena with a good punch of her own.
Nunes into the clinch in the final seconds of the round.
Round Three:
Nunes with a broad grin as she comes out for the third round. left hand for Nunes. Spinning back elbow for Nunes.
Now a jab from Nunes. Pena looks for the clinch, but Nunes is soon able to break free. Overhand right for Nunes.
Front kick to the body for Pena. Stepping left hand from Nunes, but also eats a counter. Pena presses forward with a flurry, but Nunes steers clear of the worst of it.
Another good connection from Pena, but then Nunes steps in and trips her to the mat. Nunes goes down into Pena’s guard in the center of the Octagon. Elbow strike for Nunes.
Pena working a high guard and tries to fish for a submission, but Nunes postures up and stays out of that for now. Pena still looking for any opening though.
elbow lands for Nunes. Another lands and opens a cut to Pena’s hairline. Nunes lands another elbow and Pena is leaking blood, but she tries for an omaplata. Nunes goes defensive momentarily and gets free from that.
Nunes in half guard now and Pena’s forehead is covered in blood as the round draws to a close.
Round Four:
Nunes still looking fresh as the fourth round begins. Pena steps into a punch, but Nunes read it and ducks under into a takedown attempt and lands it.
Nunes in Pena’s high guard again, but close to the cage this time. Pena goes for the omaplata again, but Nunes escapes and drops back down landing some nice punches.
Pena again goes for a submission and again Nunes is able to escape. Nunes playing with fire here though.
Pena suddenly has hold of an armbar attempt and it looks good. Nunes in defensive mode now but she stays calm and manages to escape. That was close for a moment.
Nunes trying to improve position and manages to press Pena more awkwardly against the cage. Pena relentless with her submission attempts and there’s suddenly a scramble that results in the action going back to the feet.
Pena soaked in blood now. The action is barely on the feet before it’s back on the mat with Nunes landing the takedown as the champ landed a punch. Pena trying for another submission as the round ends.
Round Five:
Low kick for Nunes. Jab from Nunes but Pena lands a better punch and Nunes clinches up and gets the takedown.
Pena with that high guard and now she’s working for a triangle choke, then an omaplata. Back to the triangle attempt, but nothing doing. Pena on her knees and Nunes locking in an anaconda choke. Pena has blood pouring onto the mat from a cut.
Pena able to get back to her feet. Pena looking for a punch, but is taken down again by Nunes.
Nunes opts to go into half-guard and Pena is working for a kimura attempt. Nunes defends and then starts to go to her feet momentarily, only to then drop back down free from the submission.
Nunes sits in her guard but then backs up and stands. Nunes drops down and lands a good punch. Nunes looking to improve her position and manages to get the back. She goes for a rear-naked choke. It looks tight, but Pena escapes.
Nunes in her guard again. She opts to stand back up and does a little dance as Pena is getting back to her feet, and that’s the final action of the round, we’re headed to the scorecards.
Decision:
Great fight then with Nunes looking back to her best with pinpoint accurate counters that floored Pena multiple times in the early rounds, and then opening up nasty cuts on the mat with elbow strikes.
Credit goes to Pena too though as she never backed down despite the knockdowns and was relentless in her pursuit of submissions on the mat.
The result was never in doubt though – Nunes wins in dominant fashion via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-43)
