Amanda Nunes moves back to bantamweight, defends title vs. Julianna Pena at UFC 265

Julianna Pena called her shot, and pending bout finalization, she’ll get it.

The UFC is currently targeting Pena (10-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) as the next challenger for Amanda Nunes for an Aug. 7 event, three people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie on Thursday. The fight will be for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship.

ESPN was the first to report the news.

The event is expected to serve as UFC 265 but does not have an official location or venue at this time.

Nunes (21-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) moves back down to 135 pounds after back-to-back title defenses at featherweight. She most recently defeated Megan Anderson at UFC 259 in March. The fight lasted 2:03, with Nunes submitting Anderson via armbar.

Widely considered the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time, Nunes has won 12 straight fights. The streak includes victories over former UFC champions Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Germaine de Randamie.

As for Pena, “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner has won two of her most recent three bouts. Following a win over Nicco Montano in July 2019, Pena returned in October 2020 and was submitted by Germaine de Randamie. Most recently, Pena submitted Olympian Sara McMann in the first round of their UFC 257 fight in January.

After the victory, Pena took to the microphone and called for Nunes next. Moments after Nunes beat Anderson, Pena challenged the champion on Twitter again. A fresh matchup, Pena thinks she presents Nunes with skills the double champion has yet to see inside the cage.

“I’m 9-2 in the UFC, and Amanda has one more victory than I do,” Pena told MMA Junkie in March. “I’ve been fighting in this UFC division just as long as she has. … I feel like stylistically, I’m the worst possible matchup for her. I’m her kryptonite. I do believe that she knows that because every time I fight, she always says, ‘One more, and you’ve got to fight one more, and you’ve got to fight one more.’ It’s like, you didn’t make Felicia Spencer fight one more. You didn’t make Megan Anderson fight one more. You didn’t make Holly fight one more, but for some reason, I’ve got to fight one more.