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Reigning bantamweight champion Julianna Peña had a little extra security in her corner prior to her anticipated rematch against Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 on Saturday night.
As Peña and Nunes went nose-to-nose during the ceremonial weigh-in, the champion was backed on stage by her four-year-old daughter Isabella, who stood firm with her fists balled and an icy stare fixed on her mom’s challenger.
In case you might’ve thought she’d be intimidated by one of the sport’s greatest fighters, one look at the tense stare-down should change that in short order:
While young Isabella may have looked more than ready to defend her mom if necessary, only Peña will be allowed to take that long walk to the octagon where she’ll look to emerge victorious in her first title defense.
Appearing at her first event since defeating Nunes for the belt in December, Peña enters the American Airlines Center in Dallas as the underdog with an added motivation to prove her second-round submission victory was no fluke. As of Friday night, SI MMA’s Justin Barrasso tabbed the betting odds for the bout as Nunes via TKO (+120).
