Amanda Nunes was at her championship best on Saturday night. But Dana White thinks she could have been even better.
The UFC president addressed the media after Saturday’s UFC 277 show at American Airlines Center, Dallas. He praised Nunes for her impressive win over Julianna Pena but also mentioned that Nunes might have been a bit hesitant with Pena’s December 2021 defeat.
” I think two things. Julianna is tough and willful, White stated. “She wanted to win. I think as dominant as Amanda was — and she was dominant tonight, I didn’t think it was close any way, shape, or form, it was a complete shutout — but she still looked a little gun-shy to me. It was easy to see the same thing happening if you go in against someone who has beaten you before.
” I mean, it is stupid to even think of that. It was an absolutely dominant performance.”
In the first meeting between Pena and Nunes at UFC 269, Pena pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all-time by pushing the pace to a point that Nunes couldn’t match and finishing her with a rear-naked choke in the second round. This time, Nunes was the clear leader in terms of damage and she fought off Pena’s pesky submission attempts to win a lopsided judges’ decision and regain the UFC bantamweight title.
White believed that Nunes might have used a less cautious approach to the rematch.
“White said that Julianna was hurt many times, had her on crazy legs a few times, but never really went in for the kill. “She had Julianna hurt many times, had her on crazy legs a couple of times, and never really went in for the kill.”
White had positive things to say about both fighters but did not call the fight close due to Pena’s relentless attack with submissions.
“She could have, but she didn’t,” White said of Pena possibly submitting Nunes. It’s not comparable.” It is not comparable .”
In her post-fight interview Nunes stated that she wanted to be able to relax and not have to fight Pena again or go up to 145 pound to defend her belt. She added that she expected to take time off, which White said she “absolutely” has earned.
When she returns to the UFC, she might meet Pena, UFC flyweight champion and current No. 1 in MMA Fighting’s Pound-for-Pound Rankings — Valentina Shevchenko. Nunes hold two wins over Shevchenko, but their second fight went to a razor-thin decision and they have been so successful since fighting one another that a third clash has seemed inevitable at times.
“That’s not a bad idea,” White said when Shevchenko’s name was brought up. “Normally I would say, ‘Come on, man,’ but that’s not a bad idea really when you think about it. I’m not saying, ‘yes;’ I’m just saying it’s not a bad idea.”
