Joe Rogan gives credit to Julianna Pena for her upset of Amanda Nunes but not without some criticism for the now-former UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
“For you to be a world champion in two divisions and universally recognized as the greatest woman fighter of all time, which Amanda is, it’s inexcusable to be that tired in the second round,” Rogan said on his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
Last Saturday at UFC 269, Peña forced Nunes to tap to a rear-naked choke 3:53 into the second round to claim the 135-pound title. The finish came after Peña engaged in a slugfest with the hard-hitting Nunes, who’s known for her knockout power. Peña hung in there, took some of Nunes’ best shots, but also delivered her own to hurt her, tire her out and drag her to the mat, which led to a quick tapout from Nunes.
Rogan, who called the fight cageside, was shocked by what transpired – even if he had the slightest belief it was possible based on the pre-fight talk between Peña and Nunes.
“The thing is, one thing I did say leading up to the fight, as they were getting ready, you have to think of all the times where someone has underestimated someone,” Rogan said. “You can never underestimate an opponent. You can’t go into a fight not nervous. You can’t go into a fight completely sure you’re gonna win when that other person is hungry and scared, because weird things happen when people underestimate people. But f*ck, that was nuts.”
Rogan said that he first thought Peña could be “very dangerous” when she tried a Kimura in the first round. As the fight wore on, Nunes kept throwing everything behind her punches, which Rogan believes was her downfall.
“She was swinging for the fences,” Rogan said. “She was trying to take her out quick and then when Julianna was still there, you could tell she was f*cking tired. For you to be a world champion in two divisions and universally recognized as the greatest woman fighter of all time, which Amanda is, it’s inexcusable to be that tired in the second round. And just standing in front of her, just swinging in front of her, no movement side to side, standing right in front of her like you’re watching a regional fight.”
Still, Rogan gives credit where credit is due.
“It was caused by Julianna,” Rogan said. “Julianna made her quit. She didn’t just quit on her own. You’ve got to give Julianna all the credit. … Yeah, she made her quit. But the way she made her quit was crazy. No hooks, choke wasn’t on at all. It was on the chin. … She was exhausted. She quit.”
