Former bantamweight champion Julianna Peña said UFC management has forced current division champion Amanda Nunes to accept a fight with her. The third bout between Peña and Nunes will take place at UFC 289, scheduled for June 10 in Vancouver.
We’re 1-1. This is the biggest women’s MMA fight in history. It’s a Rocky story. I said [to the UFC], ‘I’m not fighting Irene, I’m fighting Amanda. That’s the only fight that I’m taking'. They said that if she didn’t fight against me that she would be stripped, and so she had no choice but to fight me. She doesn’t wanna fight me.
Julianna Peña on The MMA Hour show
Nunes and Peña last met in the Octagon in July 2022 at UFC 277. This fight lasted the entire distance and ended in Amanda's favor by a unanimous decision of the judges.
The first fight between Nunes and Peña took place in December, 2021, at the UFC 269 tournament. In this fight, Julianna won by choking in the second round. She has 14 wins and five losses on her record. Amanda has 22 wins and five losses.