Amanda Nunes thought she’d fight Irene Aldana next – not Julianna Pena.
But instead, the promotion opted to book dual-champion Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) against Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) for the bantamweight title in the UFC 289 headliner on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
With their series tied 1-1, Peña long has been calling for a rubber match and eventually got her wish. But Nunes admits she expected fresh blood for her next title defense.
“I always say I have to leave it to what the UFC decides,” Nunes told ESPN. “I’m ready. I’ve been training. I’m healthy. So whatever UFC wants to do, I’m ready. I love to do this. I love to fight. I’m here to defend my belt, and Julianna wants it again. I don’t have any problems with defending my belt against her.
“I thought it was going to be (Aldana). Everything changed to Julianna, and I was OK with it, too. No matter what, whatever UFC showed me (for an) opponent, I’m going to be happy to defend my belt.”
Peña dethroned Nunes with a stunning upset submission at UFC 269 in December 2021. But Nunes exacted her revenge when she scored a dominant decision in their rematch at UFC 277 – and she expects to replicate that performance in their trilogy.
“Obviously, it’s five rounds, I look forward to that,” Nunes said. “It’s going to be domination. If I have the opportunity to finish her, I will this time finish her. Whatever happens, I’m going to be the one who’s going to have their hand raised at the end of the night.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
