Yahoo Sports Amanda Nunes tests positive for COVID-19, out for UFC 265 fight vs. Julianna Peña
Amanda Nunes will no longer face Julianna Peña next weekend at UFC 265 after testing positive for COVID-19, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN.
Nunes was looking to defend her bantamweight championship while facing Peña on Aug. 7 in Houston. It was the co-main event of the card.
Widely recognized as the pound-for-pound best female fighter in UFC, Nunes (21-4) was moving back down after back-to-back defenses of her featherweight title. She last fought in March at UFC 259, submitting Megan Anderson via arm bar in a fight that went 2:03. She has won 12 straight fights, including wins against former UFC champions.
The fight will be rescheduled once Nunes, 33, is fully healthy and ready to compete again, Campbell told ESPN. The tentative plan is reportedly to get it in before the end of the year, likely in December.
Peña (11-4) called for a fight against Nunes following her win at UFC 257 in January when she submitted Olympian Sara McMann in the third round.
"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."
Peña, 31, is ranked No. 5 in the UFC's bantamweight division.
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