Julianna Pena was taken straight to see a plastic surgeon after her bruising defeat by Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 last night.
Pena beat Nunes last December in a huge upset to win the UFC bantamweight title but was dominated over five rounds in their Dallas rematch this weekend. Pena was knocked down three times and left with a gaping cut on. her forehead before the judges scored the bout 50-45, 50-44, 50-43 in Nunes' favour.
The Brazilian regained her status as a double champion as she also holds the promotion's featherweight crown. But Pena faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being taken to hospital.
“Julianna’s got a big chunk missing from her forehead,” said UFC president Dana White. "She’s going to see a plastic surgeon right now. She’ll take some time to heal, and then I don’t know. She got pretty banged up tonight. It was like five or six knockdowns in the first two rounds. She was hurt. She needs to take some time off, relax, spend some time with her daughter and then we’ll go from there.
"I thought it was completely dominant. There was five knockdowns in the first two rounds. There’s a big difference between submission attempts and knockdowns. They’re not even comparable. Julianna’s tough as nails and her will to win is second-to-none. She wanted to win. I think as dominant as Amanda was – and she was dominant tonight – I didn’t think it was close in any way, shape or form. It was a complete shutout."
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Nunes became the first two-time double champion in UFC history, and said: "We make history again, this is the best day in my life. The best thing I did was make my dream happen [by moving gyms]. "I feel like I can grow even more now - I've evolved even more. Now I have a chance to go back to Brazil and see my family that I miss so much. Please let me rest a little, and I'll come back as soon as possible."
Nunes last defended her featherweight strap with a first-round submission victory over Megan Anderson almost 18 months ago.
