Julianna Pena’s reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champion began with an emphatic win in December. It ended in resounding defeat on Saturday night when the woman she submitted to win that crown, Amanda Nunes, put her through the wringer in the main event of UFC 277.
Pena lasted the full 25 minutes, but she left the octagon bloodied, beaten and in need of surgery. The matchup was one-sided and left no question as to Nunes’ claim as the best fighter in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division.
In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno surprised everyone — especially his opponent — Kai Kara-France when he landed a perfectly timed and placed liver kick to end their UFC interim flyweight title fight in the third-round.