When it comes to shocking moments in UFC history, Nate Diaz’s unforgettable submission win over Conor McGregor at UFC 196 often tops the list. However, UFC President Dana White believes that honor belongs to Julianna Pena for defeating Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.
McGregor’s status as the company’s hottest product at the time has White’s choice sparking plenty of debate, but he sees Peña’s underdog triumph over the literal Women’s GOAT as a moment that rewrote the odds.
“If I had to pick one, I would probably say Julianna Pena when she beat Amanda Nunes.”
4.) Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña
Odds makers had Nunes at a (-1125) favorite and Peña at a (+700) underdog.
This was one of the biggest upsets in the sports history. Peña walked Nunes down and turned it into a dog fight and got her outta there in the 2nd round by RNC. pic.twitter.com/4BXDMkzNBo
— Volksbandage (@Volksbandage) November 28, 2023
Going into the fight, Peña was a massive +7000 underdog, with Nunes having smashed her way through the entire women’s roster. She had held both the bantamweight and featherweight titles, and there was nobody in sight that could even compete with her, let alone win.
But Peña showed up fearless, weathered Nunes’ early storm, and turned the tide in the second round. After rocking Nunes on the feet, Peña dragged her to the mat and locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing the champ to tap.
It was a moment of pure shock and grit that cemented Peña’s place in UFC history.
But the past wasn’t the only thing White has been dwelling on. With UFC’s sister company, WWE moving on to a Netflix model, White is bound to have thought about the future of UFC streaming.
Is Netflix the future?
Netflix has traditionally stayed away from live sports, but the massive success of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson could be a sign of a shift in their methods. With over 108 million viewers tuning in, Netflix is further dipping deeper into the sports world. They are going to stream NFL games on Christmas Day and are about to walk the talk on their $5 billion deal to stream WWE’s Monday Night Raw starting in 2025.
Could the UFC be next? White isn’t ruling it out.
“Netflix has a global footprint. I always thought they were crazy not to jump into live sports earlier.”
However, with Netflix’s broadcast having streaming issues with 65 million concurrent streams for the Tyson-Paul fight, White called it a smart test before their NFL debut.
With UFC’s broadcast deal with ESPN expiring in 2025, White teased big opportunities ahead, hinting at a mix-and-match model like the NFL or staying put with Disney and ESPN.
Whether or not he acts on it, only time will tell.
