Nunes batters Pena to reclaim bantamweight title in UFC 277 main event

Amanda Nunes has restored her double-champ status.

Nunes defeated Julianna Pena via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-43) in the UFC 277 main event to recapture the women's bantamweight title at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday night.

It was a rematch of their UFC 269 fight in December, when Pena submitted Nunes to register one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

Nunes set the tone in Round 1 on Saturday, and dominated most of the bout. She became the first woman in UFC history to score at least three knockdowns in a single fight, and sent Pena to the canvas three times in the second round alone.

"The lioness, if they don't get the prey the first time, I set the trap and I know I'd get it the second time," Nunes said after the fight, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

Pena scored her most significant strikes in the third round but perhaps her best moment came in Round 4 when she seemingly caught Nunes with an armbar. But it wasn't enough to submit the most decorated women's fighter in UFC history for a second time.

Nunes is also the women's featherweight champion, and she hadn't lost a fight since 2014 before running into Pena last year. The 34-year-old Brazilian isn't sure when she'll fight again.

"Let me sit down, let me go back to Brazil," she said, according to MMA Fighting's Damon Martin. "I haven't seen my family in three years because of the pandemic. I need a little rest. I know you guys want to see me back but let The Lioness rest a little bit and I'll be back as soon as possible."

UFC president Dana White said Saturday that Pena will see a plastic surgeon after the fight in light of the damage she took.

"Julianna's got a big chunk missing from her forehead," he said, per MMA Fighting's Shaheen Al-Shatti.

Pena had won two straight and three of her previous four bouts heading into UFC 277.