Pena doesn't think Nunes overlooked her: 'She just got exposed'

In the weeks since Julianna Pena dethroned Amanda Nunes, some MMA fans have wondered whether Nunes was overconfident entering the matchup. But Pena doesn't think that's the case.

The UFC women's bantamweight champion believes she was simply the better fighter.

"I think Amanda was prepared for the best version of Julianna that she was gonna see," Pena, 32, told The New York Post's Ryan Glasspiegel. "She was ready.

"I said six months prior to the fight exactly what I was gonna do. I exposed her, and I even gave her the message prior to the fight that that's what I was gonna do. She didn't underestimate me at all. She trained her ass off and was adamant, in her mind, to win the fight no matter what. She just got exposed, and that's kind of what it was."

Pena's second-round submission of Nunes at UFC 269 in December is considered one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Nunes, 33, had been the 135-pound champ since 2016.

Pena, Nunes, and UFC brass have all expressed interest in an immediate rematch, but the contest has yet to be finalized.