Julianna Pena is rushed to hospital after losing a ‘big chunk’ of her forehead in her brutal defeat

Julianna Pena was rushed to hospital to see a plastic surgeon after losing a ‘big chunk’ of her forehead during her defeat to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 in Texas.

The 32-year-old, who was crowned UFC bantamweight champion in December, was knocked down three times and left with a gaping cut on her forehead before the judges scored the bout 50-45, 50-44, 50-43 in Nunes’ favour.

The Washington-born fighter took several gruesome blows to the head and ended up looking like something out of a horror movie as blood poured down her face.

Julianna Pena took several horrific blows to the head in her UFC 277 defeat to Amanda Nunes

Pena was knocked down three times and left with a gaping cut on her forehead in the fight

UFC chief Dana White confirmed she was immediately taken to see specialists as soon as her defeat was confirmed by the judges after lasting the distance.

White said: ‘Julianna’s got a big chunk missing from her forehead.

‘She’s going to see a plastic surgeon right now.’ 

UFC chief Dana White confirmed Pena was immediately taken to see specialists after defeat

White also admitted it could be the end of Pena’s incredible career, despite only being crowned UFC bantamweight world champion by beating Nunes in a major upset in December.

White added: ‘It takes some time to heal and then I don’t know.

‘She got pretty banged up tonight, she got 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 will go from there.’

Nunes put on a mixed martial arts clinic to beat Julianna Pena by unanimous decision after a thrilling five-round battle in front of a crowd of 19,442 at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas on Saturday, reclaiming the bantamweight title.

Amanda Nunes reclaimed her UFC bantamweight title against Julianna Pena in Dallas

Nunes’ five-year reign as bantamweight champ came to an end when she lost the belt to Venezuela’s Pena in December 2021, but the Brazilian took it back on Saturday with a striking masterclass before moving the fight to the mat and surviving a number of dangerous submission attempts from Pena.

Fighting out of a southpaw stance, the 34-year-old dropped Pena three times in the second round – twice with her right hand and once with her left – as her opponent struggled to find her range. Pena did not fare much better on the ground.

Nunes pulled off a string of takedowns over the final three rounds and spent most of her time in top position, but she had to survive a threatening attempt at an armbar submission midway through the fourth round as Pena fought desperately off her back with Nunes raining down elbows on top of her.

The judges rewarded Nunes with a unanimous decision victory that saw her add another belt

The judges rewarded Nunes with a unanimous decision victory that saw her add the bantamweight belt to her featherweight title as she regained her status as reigning champion in two weight classes.

White added: ‘I thought it was completely dominant. There was five knockdowns in the first two rounds. There’s a big difference between submission attempts and knockdowns. 

‘They’re not even comparable. 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.’