Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena Bantamweight Title Fight Rescheduled for UFC 269

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Amanda Nunes will put the UFC women's bantamweight championship on the line against Julianna Pena at UFC 269 in December.

The two were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 265. Nunes had to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, Ciryl Gane's third-round TKO of Derrick Lewis had top billing for the Aug. 7 card.

At a press conference leading up to UFC 265, Pena directly questioned UFC President Dana White about Nunes' status and when she'd get to fight again. She told MMA Fighting's Steven Marrocco she thought there was a lack of transparency regarding the situation.

"It was what was kind of given to me when she told me she pulled out,” Pena said. “It was just thrown up in the air as far as December, who knows, maybe something soon. So it’s just me doing the hurry-up-and-wait game. It’s really frustrating."

Now, she'll have her shot.

Nunes claimed the bantamweight title in July 2016 after submitting Miesha Tate at UFC 200. She has made five successful defenses and captured the women's featherweight belt along the way, cementing her status as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC's women's division.

In her last appearance inside the Octagon, the 33-year-old Brazilian needed just 2:03 to make Megan Anderson tap out in an armbar at UFC 259 in March. The outcome improved her record to 21-4.

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Pena first rose to prominence in the UFC when she won The Ultimate Fighter in 2013 and has worked her way up the bantamweight division.

The Spokane, Washington, native announced in October 2017 she was pregnant and would be taking an extended hiatus from mixed martial arts. Since returning in July 2019, she has won two of three fights, the most recent of which was a third-round submission of Sara McMann at UFC 257 in January.

Given her recent run of dominance, Nunes figures to be a big favorite when December rolls around.