Amanda Nunes issues statement after withdrawing from Julianna Pena title fight at UFC 265
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes issued a statement after withdrawing from the Julianna Pena title fight at UFC 265.
Nunes tested positive for COVID-19 and her 135lbs title fight against Pena — which was scheduled to take place next Saturday night at UFC 265 in Houston, Texas — had to be canceled. The UFC’s plan is to keep this title fight intact and book it for later this year once Nunes is healthy again. It’s unfortunate that Nunes and Pena had to have been taken off the card, but sadly, this is unlikely to be the only COVID-19 withdrawal coming up given how many people around the world are still dealing with the coronavirus and its variants.
Following her withdrawal from the event, Nunes released a statement on her social media.
View this post on Instagram
We were more than ready for this fight, unfortunately sh*t happens. Stay tuned for a new date. Testei positivo para o COVID nova data em breve.
Nunes is coming off of a submission win over Megan Anderson earlier this year in a title defense of the UFC women’s featherweight title, but she wanted to come back down to 135lbs to defend her other belt, and Pena was one of the few fresh challengers available for the champion to face. Despite Pena being only on a one-fight winning streak over Sara McMann, the UFC believed that she was worthy of the title shot and decided to give it to her. The promotion’s hope is that they can reschedule this title fight for later this year, but then again, perhaps Pena could fight someone else in the meantime to stay busy instead.
Do you think the UFC should reschedule Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena, or should Pena fight someone else while Nunes is out?
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