Fans have claimed the UFC bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena last night was the "bloodiest fight in history".
Nunes brutalised Pena in the UFC 277 main event, with the Texas crowd amazed as the Brazilian showed off multiple facets of her game and reclaimed the gold she had taken from her in their first meeting. Pena put up a valiant fight in her first title defence, but was no match for the relentless pressure of Nunes, who had previously only gone five rounds twice in the UFC.
After their 25-minute brawl, in which Nunes won all five rounds comfortably and even was given two 10-8s by judge Douglas Crosby, fans took to Twitter to share their shock at how the event had gone. Pena was later taken to hospital to be looked at by a plastic surgeon after she suffered a deep gash to her forehead.
"What a fight possibly the bloodiest woman's fight I have ever seen well done to both ladies," said one fan on Twitter, with another adding: "That was the bloodiest fight I’ve ever watched I was not expecting any of they to happen but I'm glad Nunes won."
Some fans were also keen to reinstate Nunes' status as the greatest female fighter in the sport's history, having become a two-time bantamweight champion while simultaneously holding the featherweight belt. "Nunes didn't hold back, that was a bloody battle! She's the goat for sure!"
Do you agree that the rematch between Nunes and Pena was one of the bloodiest fights in UFC history? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
There were calls for the pair to have a trilogy after going 1-1 against each other over the last eight months, but others were not so sure. "After watching the highlights and looking at the scorecards, there is no need for a third fight between Nunes and Pena," another wrote. "This was a rout."
Nunes claimed after the bout that she deliberately didn't finish the fight, insisting that she wanted to prove how much better she was than Pena. Their first fight was considered arguably the greatest upset of the year last year, and right up there with Holly Holm's win over Ronda Rousey in 2016 as the greatest in the history of women's MMA.
"I know Julianna’s tough,” Nunes said after the fight. “I know. I was ready for that. I could have finished her, but I wanted to go five rounds with her tonight to prove I was better than her - I’m better than her. I proved it tonight. Tonight proved that was a lucky day for her. If she needed to become a champion like that – she had her time, but now it’s over.”
