Tag: Amanda Nunes

Maycee Barber: Julianna Peña heckling Amanda Nunes in retirement speech was ‘just cringey’

Maycee Barber wasn’t a fan of how Julianna Peña conducted herself during Amanda Nunes’ retirement speech at UFC 289.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] wasn’t a fan of how [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] conducted herself during [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]’ retirement speech.

Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) hung up her gloves after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289. In attendance was Peña, who was Nunes’ original opponent before withdrawing due to a rib injury.

While Nunes was making her farewell speech, Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was screaming at her and hurling boos from across the stands. Peña even said she wanted to storm the octagon, until her coach advised otherwise.

“The only thing I didn’t like was how much Julianna was talking crap,” Barber told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at UFC on ABC 5 media day. “That was the only thing that was like, that’s just cringey. But, that was probably the only thing that I thought about the retirement that I didn’t like, and I wish Amanda all the success in the world.”

Peña’s frustration stems from expecting to complete her trilogy with Nunes next. “The Venezuelan Vixen” scored a shocking submission upset of Nunes to claim the 135-pound title at UFC 269, but Nunes regained her belt with a dominant decision in their immediate rematch at UFC 277.

Barber thinks Peña should just be grateful that their series ended 1-1, implying that the rubber match wouldn’t have gone well for her.

“I think that was very stupid,” Barber said. “You never know what’s going on in someone’s life. And if she wanted to call it done, she called it done. Who’s to say you can’t retire? If Amanda hadn’t retired and she fought Julianna, I think that Julianna got out very easy on that, having the shot at keeping the belt.”

Barber returns to action Saturday at UFC on ABC 5 to face Amanda Ribas in the co-main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The bout airs live on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 20: Arman Tsarukyan, Larissa Pacheco climb

Arman Tsarukyan and Larissa Pacheco picked up big wins over the weekend, resulting in upward movement in this week’s update.

Two impressive fighters in their respective divisions picked up big wins last weekend and made moves up the ladder.

First, at 2023 PFL 5 on Friday, 2022 season winner [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] picked up another first-round finish by making quick work of Amber Leibrock. The quick finish earned her six points and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs as she looks to win back-to-back championships. As a result, she climbs to the No. 2 spot in the women’s featherweight division.

Saturday at UFC on ESPN 46, [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] continued his winning ways by finishing Joaquim Silva in the third round. The result marked two in a row, resulting in a bump from the honorable mention to claiming No. 13 in the lightweight rankings.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

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Cris Cyborg not surprised by Amanda Nunes retirement, just disappointed rematch won’t happen

With Amanda Nunes now retired, Cris Cyborg won’t get her long-desired rematch – and that bums her out.

With [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] now retired, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] won’t get her long-desired rematch. And that bums her out.

Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) announced her retirement after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana this past Saturday in the UFC 289 main event. She retired as the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion.

Although Nunes is still very much in her prime, her former foe and current Bellator featheweight champ Cyborg wasn’t taken back by the news.

“I’m not surprised,” Cyborg said on her YouTube channel. “I think she’s been fighting for a long time. I know she has a wife, a kid, and one kid on the way. So, she’s just been fighting for a long time and has a new chapter in her life and she’s very excited. I’m not surprised.”

Nunes knocked out Cyborg in the first round to capture the featherweight title at UFC 232 in 2018. The loss marked Cyborg’s first in more than 13 years and snapped her 21-fight unbeaten streak.

Cyborg was eager to run things back but ended up parting ways with the UFC in 2019 to sign with Bellator, which put a major roadblock in making a rematch happen.

“I don’t want to say upset, but the right word I think is disappointed,” Cyborg said of Nunes retiring. “I had one goal in my heart to make the rematch before I retire or she retires. I think a lot of fans were asking for this too. Even Julianna Peña, you see a lot of people say, ‘Oh you left before the third fight.’ But after we fought, I was 14 years undefeated. I think the rematch was gonna be great, but now I don’t know.”

Since losing to Nunes, Cyborg has defeated Felicia Spencer in the UFC, then dethroned Julia Budd to become Bellator’s featherweight champion. She has since defended her belt four times and is expected to make her next title defense against former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano, who holds a win over Nunes.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 13: Amanda Nunes’ retirement resets women’s standings

Amanda Nunes defended her bantamweight title at UFC 289 and then retired, causing a reset in multiple women’s divisions.

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] successfully defended her UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 289.

However, immediately after her dominant unanimous decision victory over Irene Aldana, Nunes announced her retirement from MMA. Already having a firm grasp as the No. 1 bantamweight, featherweight, and pound-for-pound, her exit causes a massive shuffle.

Aldana entered the event at No. 7 in the women’s bantamweight division, but despite the loss, Nunes’ exit, and the removal of Germaine de Randamie, settles in at the No .5 spot in this week’s update.

The co-main event of the pay-per-view in Vancouver, British Columbia, saw No. 2 Charles Oliveira defeat No. 5 Beneil Dariush. There’s nowhere for Oliveira to move in the lightweight rankings given that Islam Makhachev is sitting at No. 1 with the UFC title. Considering Dariush’s long winning streak, and the names behind him, keeps his position.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

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Video: Was this the right time for Amanda Nunes to retire?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” reacts to Amanda Nunes’ decision to retire while UFC champion in two divisions.

It’s not often a fighter walks away on top, but that’s exactly what [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] has done.

Entering UFC 289‘s main event against Irene Aldana, Nunes held both the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight titles. After successfully defending her 135-pound title for the sixth time in a dominant unanimous decision at Rogers Center, “The Lioness” decided it was time to call it a career.

While it’s time to celebrate the the woman who is widely regarded as the greatest female fighter in history, her exit leaves many questions to be answered.

Is it the right time for the 35-year-old Brazilian to walk away, and what will the fallout be for the women’s 135- and 145-pound divisions?

Unlike many MMA retirements, will Nunes’ stick? Are we OK with not getting a third fight against Julianna Pena?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Dan Tom, and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss Nunes’ retirement with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

Julianna Peña ‘wanted to storm the cage’ as Amanda Nunes announced retirement at UFC 289

A frustrated Julianna Peña had to restrain herself while watching Amanda Nunes retire at UFC 289.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] had to restrain herself while watching [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] retire at UFC 289.

Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) called it a career after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana in this past Saturday’s headliner at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who was Nunes’ original opponent before withdrawing due to a rib injury, was in attendance for the fight. But instead of facing off with Nunes to set up their trilogy bout, she watched Nunes announce her retirement.

Peña was disappointed but not too surprised with how things unfolded.

“First off, you need to call me ‘Mystic Peña,’ because I have special powers,” Peña said on “The MMA Hour.” “I told you back then in April that she was one foot out the door, and she was going to retire. Low and behold, ‘Mystic Peña’ strikes again.”

Peña admits she had to fight off the urge to spoil Nunes’ retirement announcement. With the bantamweight title now vacant, Peña is ready to reclaim her title – even if it won’t be against Nunes.

“There was a part of me that really wanted to storm the cage,” Peña said. “I had so many people that were like, ‘Yes, we’ll do it,. We’ll throw you over the gate.’ But then my coach Wayne was like, ‘Don’t do it. Be classy and don’t do it.’ And so I let her have my moment. But it was really difficult for me, because there were so many times where my urge was to go. Like, ‘Now’s the time, go, go, go. Now’s the time.’

“But, you know, at the end of the day, she’s retired, she’s off into the sunset. She’s dead to me at this point. We’ve just got to keep the division moving. Now we’re stepping into Day 1 of the ‘Peña Power’ era. I’m the synthetic champ. I’ve always been champ in my heart and in my head all the time. I wake up every day being like, ‘Good morning, champ. You look good.’ So it’s just a matter of time before the belt’s around my waist again.”

Peña dethroned Nunes with a shocking submission upset at UFC 269. She lost her title by lopsided decision when the pair rematched at UFC 277.

Even thought their series is tied 1-1 and now will always remain that way, the score is already settled for Peña.

“As far as I’m concerned, I still have a one-up on her,” Peña said. “She didn’t finish me. I was literally coming at her the entire time. I ran out of time. Brass tacks, when it all comes down to things when she was supposed to be the greatest of all time, she tapped.

“She was asking for help to get out of there. A finish is better than a scorecard. She couldn’t finish me. I’m not gonna have a thorn on my side because as far as I’m concerned, I still have a win over her. If we’re in the streets, she’s dead. She already died.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Why Amanda Nunes thinks Julianna Peña won’t become UFC women’s bantamweight champion

With her former bantamweight title up for grabs, Amanda Nunes doesn’t see Julianna Peña becoming the next heir to her throne.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] becoming the next heir to her throne.

Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) retired after retaining her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) this past Saturday in the UFC 289 main event at Rogers Arena.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who was originally scheduled to face Nunes before withdrawing due to a rib injury, accused Nunes of running away from their trilogy bout by retiring – and “The Lioness” could only laugh at that statement.

“Oh my goodness, what can I say about that girl?” Nunes told reporters at the UFC 289 post-fight press conference. “She’s supposed to be here. I’m supposed to beat her tonight again. She’s the one that doesn’t know how to train, break the ribs, what am I going to do?

“If it was Julianna Peña tonight, I don’t retire because I want to fight somebody that I never fought before to retire. Tonight, it wouldn’t have been the night. I would have beat Julianna and then fight Aldana or whatever and then retire.”

With Nunes opting to hang up her gloves, the UFC bantamweight title is now vacant. Peña is the only woman to beat Nunes during her dominant title reign, but Nunes doesn’t see her recapturing gold. Nunes dominated Peña when they immediately rematched at UFC 277 to reclaim her bantamweight title.

“No,” Nunes said on Peña becoming champion. “I don’t think so. I think Aldana can beat her. I feel like she (Peña) got lucky in that fight against me. She knows I wasn’t ready, but I proved it in the second fight and I don’t think she’s going to be a champion. She’s not ready. She’s not ready to be a champion.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

MMA Junkie Radio #3369: UFC 289 results, Amanda Nunes retires, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,369, the guys recap UFC 289 from Vancouver, which saw [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] defend her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana, and then decide to call an end to her legendary career. The fellas also discuss 2023 PFL 4, and other MMA news. Tune in!

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Raquel Pennington suggests vacant bantamweight title fight vs. Julianna Peña after Amanda Nunes’ retirement

With the bantamweight title now vacant, Raquel Pennington wants her shot at gold.

With the women’s bantamweight title about to be vacant, [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] wants her shot at gold.

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] announced her retirement after a lopsided title defense against Irene Aldana in this past Saturday’s UFC 289 headliner at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Nunes’ announcement left former champion [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who was in attendance for the fight, disappointed. Peña was Nunes’ original opponent before a rib injury forced her to withdraw from their rubber match.

But now that Nunes will be relinquishing her belt, Pennington (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) suggests she fights Peña for it.

“Me vs Julianna got the world title!!!! Dana always thought from TUF we would face each other at the finale. Wasn’t the journey then but here we are now!!! @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @ufc.”

“Congratulations @Amanda_Leoa on a successful career!”

Pennington and Peña both competed on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” with coach Miesha Tate. Pennington was eliminated in the semifinals; Peña won the season.

Since then, both have found success in the UFC. Pennington fell short in her pursuit of UFC gold when she was stopped by Round 5 TKO against Nunes in 2018, but currently is on a five-fight winning streak.

Peña scored a shocking upset of Nunes when she submitted her at UFC 269. The pair ran things back at UFC 277 in July 2022, and Nunes avenged her loss to reclaim the bantamweight title in dominant fashion. However with Nunes retiring, Peña won’t get the trilogy she’s been clamoring for.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Amanda Nunes’ 10 greatest finishes, ranked

Amanda Nunes is widely considered the greatest female mixed martial artist for good reason, as this list shows.

Widely regarded as the greatest female mixed martial artist in the sport’s history, it’s safe to say that [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] will have a firm place in the annals of mixed martial arts.

Aside from the fact that Nunes is the first and only woman to hold two UFC titles simultaneously, “The Lioness” has gone toe-to-toe with practically all of the biggest names in women’s MMA. Overall, Nunes owns 13 wins by knockout and four wins by submission (with a majority of these taking place in the first round).

Nunes will look to add to these statistics this Saturday at UFC 289, where she meets a tough and determined challenger in Irene Aldana. But before we look too far into the future, let’s take a trip down memory lane and rank Nunes’ 10 greatest finishes.

So, without further ado …