Amanda Nunes says losing to Julianna Pena: ‘Fired me up’

Ahead of former two-division champion Amanda Nunes’ rematch with reigning bantamweight champion Julianna Pena, Nunes spoke to the media about her motivation heading into the bout.

“It’s very exciting for me,” Nunes told reporters at media say in Dallas on Wednesday. “I’ve been here before, so it’s not a surprise or anything like that. You make mistakes, and you pay, and I did. I lost my belt, but after that, I went back home, fixed what I had to fix. If I had to make some adjustments in movement, I did whatever I need to do.”

Nunes suffered a shocking loss to Pena, who many thought had no chance against the woman many felt was the GOAT of WMMA.

Nunes is certain that won’t happen again.

“I’m going to get that thing back. Losing the belt was never something that put me down or sad. It just kept me motivated and fired me up,” she said. “I always needed that. I needed that kind of push. What Julianna brought was the challenge I needed. I was without a challenge for so long. Now, finally, I get in the position that I like to feel. I like to feel trapped. These are the moments I love the most.”