Juliana PenaThe nasty cut sustained in her loss to Amanda Nunes on Saturday night required no more than usual post-fight care.
Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) lost her women’s bantamweight title in UFC 277. In a cool performance, the 32-year-old fought hard, but it was ultimately dominated by Nunes in their long-awaited rematch that topped the Dallas pay-per-view. In the process, Peña was cut badly on the forehead and bled continuously throughout the fight.
After the event, Peña was taken directly to the hospital instead of addressing the media backstage at the American Airlines Center. UFC president Dana White said the reason was because Peña was rushed to the hospital due to the injury she received and that she was a “big piece” is missing from her forehead.
Peña took to Instagram on Sunday to give an update on her health.
“Stronger than a two-dollar steak,” Peña wrote. “Thanks for the love everyone! Just a cat scratch that required a few stitches, no pieces missing, no surgery needed. I love you all! We are now 1-1 #peopleschamp #trilogy #penavsnunes3 #lfg.”
Nunes and Peña first met at UFC 269 in December, when Peña scored a knockout the biggest upsets in the history of the promotion submitting Nunes with a naked choke in the second round.
With the victory, Nunes avenged the loss and regained her status as a two-division champion. Aside from a loss to Peña in their first meeting, Nunes hasn’t lost since September 2014 and is 13-1 in her last 14 appearances.
Meanwhile, for Peña, the loss is her first since Germaine de Randamie in October 2020. She is 3-3 in her last six matches.
