“I’m not surprised, motherf*ckers.” That infamous, Nate Diaz line capped off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history and MMA Junkie’s 2021 “Upset of the Year.”
On the final pay-per-view event of 2021 – UFC 269 – Julianna Pena pulled off what many deemed impossible by defeating two-division UFC women’s champion and consensus greatest female MMA fighter of all time Amanda Nunes.
Peña (11-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) not only handed Nunes a loss, but she did so convincingly, submitting the “Lioness” with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their championship bout. It was an incredible moment in MMA.
This historic upset wasn’t made overnight and needed years and for it to set up the way it did.
Peña entered UFC 269 as a +600 underdog according to Tipico. “The Venezuelan Vixen” was respected in MMA, but even then was considered by most just another body to add to Nunes’ historic win streak.
Peña won The Ultimate Fighter 18 and had a good run to the start of her UFC career back in 2013. However, in her most recent stretch, she was 2-2 and earned her title shot off one win, as she had previously lost to respected striker and former UFC champ Germaine de Randamie via submission. And on top of that, Pena’s inactivity didn’t help her case. Her 2-2 run spanned more than four years, making her one of the more inactive recent UFC title challengers.
Add Peña’s lack of a recent strong resume to Nunes’ unprecedented form and you had the perfect ingredients brewing for a historic upset that night in Las Vegas.
Nunes hadn’t tasted defeat since suffering a TKO loss to Cat Zingano in 2014. Since that loss, Nunes had built an impressive 12-fight winning streak that cemented herself as the GOAT of women’s MMA. She also captured and defended both the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight belts.
Nunes had defeated a who’s who of MMA, besting Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, de Randamie, and the list goes on. There was no stopping Nunes.
But if one thing is certain in MMA, is that this sport is full of surprises.
After losing the first round in the co-main event of UFC 269, Peña put her best foot forward, and with guts, grit, and self-belief, she made the impossible possible.
Peña stood her ground and took hard shots from Nunes, who’s the most dangerous striker in women’s MMA history. Many saw Pena’s slim chances coming from her wrestling, but the 32-year-old had other plans and shocked the world by beating the champ at her own game.
Although Nunes seemed to have the bigger pop in the punches, Peña was unfazed and fired back shots of her own – going toe-to-toe with the Brazilian. As the clock ticked, the tide began to sway in Peña’s favor, and almost in slow motion, you saw Nunes’ bantamweight reign come crashing down. The dramatic, back-and-forth fire-fight with Peña broke Nunes, and she shortly found herself on the canvas with Peña latched to her neck.
Although the tap came at the 3:26 mark of Round 2, Nunes was already defeated before the fight even reached the ground. Peña broke the GOAT just like she promised. Peña’s bold and fearless showing was undoubtedly the most shocking result of the year, making it MMA Junkie’s 2021 Upset of the Year.
MMA Junkie’s 2021 Upset of the Year: Julianna Peña def. Amanda Nunes
