UFC: Amanda Nunes will ‘talk to some doctors’ after body ‘locked up’ in Julianna Pena loss, says Dana White
- Nunes, the long-reigning UFC bantamweight champion, was submitted by Pena in a shocking upset earlier this month
- Brazilian ‘couldn’t do anything’ in the cage, according to UFC boss White, and hopes medical experts can help her understand why
Amanda Nunes did not feel like herself in her recent loss to Julianna Pena, and she is seeking help from medical experts in an effort to figure out why.
The 33-year-old Brazilian, considered the greatest female fighter in MMA history, met Pena in the co-main event of UFC 269 this month, with the women’s bantamweight title on the line. In a jaw-dropping upset, she was battered and ultimately submitted by Pena in the second round.
In the wake of the fight, it’s been widely opined that Nunes (21-5) did not look like herself against Pena. In a recent interview with ESPN, UFC president Dana White confirmed those suspicions, noting the former champ plans to unearth the root of the problem.
“I talked to her that night, and she said she can’t explain it, that her body locked up on her and that she couldn’t do anything that night,” White said.
“Her body locked up and she doesn’t really understand what happened, but she wants to find out. She’s going to dive in and talk to some doctors, performance doctors or whatever, and figure out what happened to her.”
While White confirmed that Nunes felt off her game at UFC 269, he was careful to give the 32-year-old American Pena (11-4) props for her gutsy performance on the night.
