Julianna Pena sees surgeon after loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277

Amanda Nunes of Brazil punches Julianna Pena in their bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at American Airlines Center on July 30, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP

Julianna Pena needed immediate medical attention following a devastating loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 277 in Dallas.

“Julianna’s got a big chunk missing from her forehead,” UFC president Dana White said in the 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.”

Pena was knocked down multiple times and sustained a large cut to her head. Nunes won by decision.

Nunes, of Brazil, dominated Pena (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) to regain the bantamweight title she lost to the Chicagoan in December at UFC 269.

Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC), who won for the 13th time in her past 14 fights, is also the reigning featherweight champion, making her the first fighter in UFC history to return to double-title status after losing a title.

White said Nunes turned in a performance that was “completely dominant.”

“Julianna’s tough as nails and her will to win is second-to-none. She wanted to win,” he said. “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.”