Amanda Nunes put on a mixed martial arts clinic to beat Julianna Pena by unanimous decision after a thrilling five-round battle in front of a crowd of 19,442 at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas on Saturday, reclaiming the bantamweight title.
Nunes' five-year reign as bantamweight champ came to an end when she lost the belt to Venezuela's Pena in December 2021, but the Brazilian took it back on Saturday with a striking masterclass before moving the fight to the mat and surviving a number of dangerous submission attempts from Pena.
Fighting out of a southpaw stance, the 34-year-old dropped Pena three times in the second round - twice with her right hand and once with her left - as her opponent struggled to find her range. Pena did not fare much better on the ground.
The judges rewarded Nunes with a unanimous decision victory that saw her add the bantamweight belt to her featherweight title as she regained her status as reigning champion in two weight classes. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno scored a third-round TKO win over Kai Kara-France set up with a thunderous kick to the body to win the interim flyweight title. The Mexican will now face Deiveson Figueredo for the undisputed title.Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Himani Sarkar
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