Julianna Pena says Amanda Nunes retired to avoid trilogy fight with her

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena campaigned for months for a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes after losing her belt to the 35-year-old Brazilian in July of last year — a request the UFC granted in April.

So, Pena’s rage toward Nunes is a bit understandable after the champion retired following her UFC 289 win over Irena Aldana on Saturday, eliminating any possibility of a trilogy fight between the two.

“At the end of the day, Amanda didn’t want the fight,” Pena told Ariel Helwani Monday on “The MMA Hour.” “The whole time the UFC tried [to ask] her to make the trilogy, she didn’t want to make it, and they made that clear to me. They said, ‘She doesn’t want to fight you.’ That’s why it took so long to book the trilogy, and when I fell out because of injury, she said it was ‘less heavy’ for her. It’s less heavy for her because she knows what’s at risk.”

Pena was originally scheduled for Saturday’s card in Vancouver before withdrawing from the bout in March after suffering some broken ribs during training. She assumed if Nunes got past Aldana that she would get another shot at her sometime later this year.

The 33-year-old Pena beat Nunes for the UFC women’s bantamweight title by second-round submission at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021. The loss snapped Nunes’ 12-fight win streak and it was just the second time in her 27-fight mixed martial arts career she had been submitted.