American fighter Julianna Peña will need surgery after her forehead was cut open during a title-fight loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 on Saturday, UFC President Dana White said.
The highly anticipated fight at American Airlines Center in Dallas was a one-sided battle that ended with Peña surrendering the women's bantamweight title by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-43).
After the intense fight, White said that Peña was immediately taken to a plastic surgeon to be examined after a “big chunk” of her forehead was knocked out over the course of the rounds.
"Julianna's got a big chunk missing from her forehead," White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 277 post-fight news conference. "She's going to see a plastic surgeon right now. [She'll] take some time to heal, and then I don't know. She got pretty banged up tonight. It was like five or six knockdowns in the first two rounds. She was hurt. She needs to take some time off, relax, spend some time with her daughter and then we'll go from there."
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White went on to describe the fight as a “complete shutout” as the Brazilian became a double champion for the second time.
“Julianna's tough as nails and her will to win is second-to-none. She wanted to win. I think as dominant as Amanda was - and she was dominant tonight - I didn't think it was close in any way, shape or form. It was a complete shutout,” White added.
