Amanda Nunes suffered one of the most stunning upsets in MMA history on Saturday night, and the loss will end up costing her a boatload of money.
Nunes lost her UFC women’s bantamweight title to Julianna Pena at UFC 269. Pena, who entered the Octagon as a 10-1 underdog, earned the victory in the second-round with a rear-naked choke.
JULIANNA PENA SHOCKS THE WORLD 🌎 #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/LNr4amWe94
— UFC (@ufc) December 12, 2021
After the bout, UFC president Dana White said that the upset loss cost Nunes what would have been a huge money fight against Kayla Harrison.
“These are those things man, for like a Kayla Harrison, the Amanda Nunes fight was huge,” said White, per MMA Mania. “If they would have faced off, it would have been a massive, mega-million dollar fight. If Amanda Nunes had won tonight, the Kayla Harrison fight would have been one of the biggest fights you would have ever seen.”
Nunes is widely seen as the greatest female fighter in MMA history. She had won her previous 12 fights in a row, including victories over virtually every single other top competitor, including Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, and Holly Holm. Harrison, meanwhile, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo who is currently undefeated in her MMA career.
After establishing herself as one of the sport’s great trash-talkers as well, Nunes got humbled in a big way on Saturday night. As for Harrison, she probably feels like Evander Holyfield did after Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson back in 1990.
Photo: Dec 14, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Amanda Nunes (red gloves) reacts before a bout against Germaine de Randamie (not pictured) during UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
