Nunes says she dealt with knee injuries before Pena loss

Amanda Nunes says she wasn't 100% heading into her UFC title defense against Julianna Pena.

The women's featherweight champion, who lost the bantamweight title to Pena in shocking fashion at UFC 269 in December, said Monday she suffered injuries to both of her knees before the fight.

"Both knees (were) pretty bad. ... Every time that I (was) training, (I went) back home, and the next day I (couldn't) even walk," Nunes told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

Nunes, widely considered the greatest women's fighter of all time, is set to coach opposite Pena on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter," culminating in a rematch between the two bantamweights later in 2022.

Pena's second-round submission of Nunes was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, marking the latter's first loss since 2014. Nunes said injuries restricted her training, and she believes that had a major impact on the result of the fight.

"I (could not) turn, do all the things that I have to do - like do jiu-jitsu that much, wrestling. ... Pretty much, I was doing only hands, like striking. Or whatever I (was) going to do for conditioning, I used only my arms," Nunes said. "That cost me my belt."

"The Lioness" said her entire training camp was a "mess," but she didn't want to cancel the fight after a positive COVID-19 test forced her out of a previously scheduled meeting with Pena earlier in 2021.

Before she walked out at UFC 269, Nunes said her arms felt heavy and her body felt off.

"I was like, 'That's not how my body (is),'" Nunes said. "I've been in this game for five years with the belt. ... My body (had) never felt like that."

Nunes is confident she's better than Pena and said that will show in the second fight.

"We all know I'm better than her. We all know I didn't show up that night," Nunes said.

She added: "I fight a lot of girls better than her in my best shape, and I still walk away with my belt. So with Julianna, our ... rematch is going to be different."