"She probably just wasn't ready" - Julianna Pena doubts that Amanda Nunes actually had COVID-19

Julianna Pena has suggested that Amanda Nunes' claim that she caught COVID-19 may not be entirely truthful. The pair were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 265 last month. The bout was postponed after Nunes tested positive for the virus.

'The Venezuelan Vixen' recently made an appearance on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, where she discussed the canceled fight. More specifically, she spoke about the circumstances surrounding Nunes dropping out of the fight.

Julianna Pena stated that:

"I'll tell ya this. When Hunter Campbell told me that he was looking at her positive Covid test, I said okay... The next day an article came out from her wife stating that they had been locked down for 11 days and they both, all three of them, tested negative."

Having suggested that the Brazilian wasn't suffering from COVID-19, Julianna Pena went on to state why she believes Amanda Nunes didn't want the fight. According to the champ's next challenger, the 'Lioness' simply wasn't ready.

"I just had a feeling it wasn't going to happen in general because every time she's posting it's like chocolate cake and you know, all sorts of goodies that you normally wouldn't be eating in a fight camp so... She was just probably on the couch eating chocolate cake and was like, 'What! The fight's next week? Aw no no no I got Covid.' She probably just wasn't ready you know."

Thankfully, Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes has since been rebooked for UFC 269 on December 11. The UFC is currently hoping to have a lightweight title fight between Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira headlining the card. Brandon Moreno's first flyweight title defense is also reportedly targeted for the event. He's expected to face Alexandre Pantoja for the third time in his career.

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Julianna Pena discusses being a big underdog against Nunes

Julianna Pena also discussed the fact that when the fight does finally take place, she will be a heavy underdog. That's both in terms of betting odds and fan perception.

Pena stated that despite having "the whole world" against her ahead of this fight, she's used to being written off.

"I don't give an F what other people think. It's what I know and what's in my heart. And in my heart and what I know is I'm a champion."

You can check out the full episode of The MMA Hour featuring Julianna Pena below: