Amanda Nunes reacts after defeating Cris Cyborg by first round knockout to become the new UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion during UFC 232 at the Forum in Inglewood Ca, Saturday, Dec 29, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Dana White believes Amanda Nunes still looked ‘gun-shy’ at UFC 277 in win over Julianna Pena: ‘Never really went in for the kill’
Dana White still thinks Amanda Nunes was gun-shy in her UFC 277 title win over Julianna Pena.
Nunes reclaimed her bantamweight title in a dominant decision win over Pena that she knocked down the champ multiple times. After the fight, Nunes said she could’ve finished Pena in the first if she wanted to, for White, he believes Nunes was too gun-shy in the fight and didn’t go for the kill as she usually does.
“I think two things: Julianna’s tough as nails and her will to win was second to none,” White said after UFC 277. “She wanted to win. I think as dominant as Amanda was — and she was dominant tonight, I didn’t think it was close anyway, shape, or form, it was a complete shutout — but she still looked a little gun-shy to me. Going in against the person who beat you the first time, I could see that happening. I mean, it’s stupid for me to even say that. It was an absolutely dominant performance…
“I think she was concerned about her cardio probably, because when you think about the way that she fought [Cris] Cyborg, she usually throws tons of punches,” White later added. “She had Julianna hurt many times, had her on crazy legs a couple of times, and never really went in for the kill.”
Although Amanda Nunes did not get the stoppage, she still did what she out to do and that is reclaiming her bantamweight title and becoming a champ-champ again.
With Nunes reclaiming her belt, it’s uncertain who will be next for her, but White says the Valentina Shevchenko trilogy is not a bad idea.
“That’s not a bad idea,” White said when Shevchenko’s name was brought up. “Normally I would say, ‘Come on, man,’ but that’s not a bad idea really when you think about it. I’m not saying, ‘yes;’ I’m just saying it’s not a bad idea.”
