Daniel Cormier recently checked in with Amanda Nunes to discuss her upcoming rematch with Julianna Pena. 'DC' spoke about how Pena was able to show Nunes something that she hasn't seen in a long time, and asked what she would do differently. Nunes brushed this off and didn't give Pena much credit. She likened Pena's style to Felicia Spencer's, whom she handled with ease. Nunes said:
"Honestly DC, I've seen that same style before. I've seen it with Felicia Spencer, who's a very good grappler, that kind of style... In 145 that's somebody that was heavier than me. You know who keeps pushing forward, keeps pressuring me, trying to take me down. And she could take [hits] as well. She went five rounds, trying to grab me, staying tough, staying consistent... exactly like Julianna."
Nunes followed this by hinting that her shortcomings in the previous bout were due to her camp, stating:
"I'll tell you, I did a full camp for this fight. I got all my timing, I'm precise now. My wrestling is on point, my defence is on point. I'm ready to go DC. I'm ready to get my belt back... The fire after I lost is here again."
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Amanda Nunes seems to be suggesting that she didn't take Pena seriously the first time around. It's very possible that after her reign of dominance, she became complacent and underestimated Pena. Whether this was the case or not will be determined in Saturday night's main event, when Nunes seeks to regain the belt that was once hers.
You can watch the full episode of the DC Check-In below:
Valentina Shevchenko picks Amanda Nunes to win, says she "didn't look like herself"
Valentina Shevchenko, who has shared the octagon twice with Amanda Nunes, believes she will regain her belt at UFC 277 on Saturday night. 'Bullet' wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what was different, but knows that the Amanda Nunes who lost to Pena was not the same person she faced twice. She said:
"She didn't look like herself. I don't know which factors effected that, I don't know family, training camp, friends at the gym, or whatever, but she didn't look the same way when we fought together. She was completely different... My thoughts are if she will be the same Amanda that I know, she will win the fight."
Although Shevchenko recognizes a difference in Nunes, it is impossible to tell which version of her will appear in the octagon on Saturday.
You can watch Shevchenko's full interview here: