Amanda Nunes says she isn’t going out like that.
After suffering one of the biggest upset losses in UFC history against Julianna Pena on Saturday at UFC 269, there were a lot of questions about where Nunes (21-5 MMA, 14-2 UFC) was mentally. It seemed that going into the event, defending her women’s bantamweight title was a foregone conclusion. Then the unthinkable happened, and she was submitted in the second round after succumbing to a slugfest.
The immediate fallout saw Peña (11-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) offer Nunes an immediate rematch, and UFC president Dana White declared an opportunity for revenge is there if Nunes wants it.
Nunes made it clear she does, but first she needs a chance to get her ducks in a row before committing to a date.
“You guys think I’m going to go out unbalanced,” Nunes wrote on Instagram. “I undoubtedly accept the rematch. Give me a little time to get my shit together and I will be back better than ever.”
Despite the loss, Nunes, 33, is still the UFC women’s featherweight champion. She had a multiyear run as a dual-division titleholder, but her 12-fight winning streak was brought to a shocking end in the UFC 269 co-headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Nunes said in the octagon that she didn’t feel at her best. She didn’t attend the UFC 269 post-fight news conference to elaborate on her loss but left no questions about her intentions in her first post-fight statement.
Amanda Nunes after UFC 269: ‘I undoubtedly accept the rematch’ with Julianna Peña