Julianna Pena’s nasty cut sustained in her loss to Amanda Nunes on Saturday night didn’t require more than ordinary post-fight care.
Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) lost her women’s bantamweight title at UFC 277. In a gusty performance, the 32-year-old fought hard but was ultimately dominated by Nunes in their highly anticipated rematch that headlined the pay-per-view in Dallas. In the process, Peña was cut badly on her forehead and bled non-stop throughout the fight.
Following the event, Peña was taken straight to the hospital rather than address the media backstage at American Airlines Center. UFC president Dana White said the reason was because Peña was rushed to the hospital due to the damage she took and that she was missing a “big chunk” from her forehead.
Peña took to Instagram on Sunday to provide an update on her health.
“Tougher than a two dollar steak,” Peña wrote. “Thanks for the love everyone! Just a cat scratch that required a few stitches, no chunks missing, no surgery necessary. Love you all! We’re 1-1 now #peopleschamp #trilogy #penavsnunes3 #lfg.”
Nunes and Peña first met at UFC 269 in December, when Peña scored one of the biggest upsets in promotional history by submitting Nunes with a second-round rear-naked choke.
With the victory, Nunes avenged her loss and regained her status as a two-division champion. Besides the loss to Peña in their first meeting, Nunes had not lost since September 2014 and is 13-1 in her past 14 appearance.
Meanwhile, for Peña, the loss is her first since Germaine de Randamie in October 2020. She is 3-3 in her most recent six fights.
