MMA News

Tag: Julianna Pena

  • Julianna Peña Explains Why She’ll Call Out Amanda Nunes Instead Of Kayla Harrison If She Regains UFC Bantamweight Title 

    Julianna Peña Explains Why She’ll Call Out Amanda Nunes Instead Of Kayla Harrison If She Regains UFC Bantamweight Title 

    Should she become a two-time UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Julianna Peña plans to settle some unfinished business.

    Peña hasn’t competed in almost two years, having not made the walk since losing the 135-pound strap in a rematch with Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 in Dallas, Texas, back in the summer of 2022.

    The result brought “The Venezuelan Vixen’s” reign to a sudden halt six months on from her memorable and shocking submission of the “Lioness.”

    While the pair were set to complete their trilogy last June in Canada, an injury suffered by Peña in training forced her out. In her place stepped Irene Aldana on short notice, and after outpointing the Mexican at UFC 289, Nunes laid down her two belts and announced her retirement.

    A bemused Peña booed from cageside and has since expressed confidence that the Brazilian hasn’t permanently hung up the gloves. And she expects to prove as much by drawing Nunes back to the cage after bringing Raquel Pennington’s divisional rule to a close later this year…

    Peña: Nunes Fight Would Be The ‘Biggest Trilogy In Women’s Combat Sports’

    During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Peña looked ahead to her long-awaited return to action and revealed what she hopes will follow a planned second title crowning.

    While two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ Kayla Harrison made a splash in her Octagon debut by getting the better of Holly Holm, “The Venezuelan Vixen” has other plans when it comes to her first defense should she unseat Pennington.

    “I still feel like the spidey senses and all that, that she (Nunes) will come back, and it’s just a matter of time before she does,” Peña said. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. I want to fight Raquel, I want my belt back, I’m getting my belt back. After that, I will absolutely be calling out Amanda, and I believe that she absolutely will come back because it’s too big of a fight for her.

    “Of course, (I’ll call out Nunes, not Harrison). That’s like if I win the belt, I should also call out Ronda (Rousey), you know what I mean? Ronda has been escaping these fights with me for years. … Those are fights that I want. I want big fights, I want big money fights,” Peña continued, before being asked if she sees the Nunes trilogy as bigger than a Harrison bout. “Absolutely. We’re 1-1, unfinished business. … This would be the biggest trilogy in women’s combat sports.”

    Harrison took note of those remarks and others that saw Peña accuse her of past PED use during the conversation with Helwani, responding with a fiery message toward “The Venezuelan Vixen” on social media.

    While the stage has long been set for a rivalry between Peña and Harrison even before the latter’s UFC signing, it would appear that the former bantamweight queen has no immediate plans to settle it inside the Octagon.

  • Kayla Harrison Hits Back At Julianna Peña’s PED Accusation: ‘Only Shot In The Ass People Need Around You Is Anti-Nausea Medication’

    Kayla Harrison Hits Back At Julianna Peña’s PED Accusation: ‘Only Shot In The Ass People Need Around You Is Anti-Nausea Medication’

    UFC bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison didn’t take too kindly to some allegations recently made by former champion Julianna Peña.

    A rivalry has long been brewing between Harrison and Peña, even prior to the former’s successful arrival on MMA’s biggest stage this past April at UFC 300.

    On the milestone card, the two-time Olympic gold medalist followed two doses of championship success under the PFL banner with a long-awaited UFC debut. In one of the night’s best performances, Harrison submitted ex-bantamweight queen Holly Holm.

    That result left many calling for the Ohio native to receive a quick shot at the gold, but she’ll have to wait her turn while Peña attempts to dethrone Raquel Pennington.

    And “The Venezuelan Vixen” was firm in insisting that she’s more deserving than Harrison during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, and she also made some bold claims about the UFC newcomer and her team.

    “Stay off the needle, bro. … Maybe not now,” Peña said when asked if she thinks Harrison is on steroids. “But definitely in the past. Absolutely. There’s no question. … I just already have the mindset that people are cheating. Especially from ATT (American Top Team), 100 percent at ATT.

    “When Dan Lambert flew me out there after I won The Ultimate Fighter, they literally told me that all the girls are in the bathroom shooting each other in the ass with the steroids,” Peña added.

    Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take Harrison long to respond…

    Harrison On Peña’s PED Claim: ‘I Have Been Tested By USADA Since I Was 12’

    Although Harrison would appear to be waiting in the wings for the winner of Pennington vs. Peña, which is expected to take place at UFC 307 in Utah this October, the challenger has other plans.

    “The Venezuelan Vixen” told Helwani that after regaining the 135-pound belt, she plans on calling out former two-division champ Amanda Nunes instead of Harrison.

    When responding to and vehemently denying Peña’s PED allegation on X/Twitter, Harrison accused the former titleholder of finding “every excuse in the world” to avoid sharing the Octagon with her.

    “I have been tested by USADA since I was 12 years old,” Harrison wrote. “You will find every excuse in the world not to fight me. and the only shot in the ass people need around u is anti-nausea medication.”

    It remains to be seen what will lie ahead for Harrison, who has teased a second UFC fight against another contender rather than waiting for a likely title shot down the line.

    And the two-time PFL champ has also welcomed a potential clash with the retired Nunes. After the “Lioness” bemoaned her ex-teammate for not calling her out at UFC 300, Harrison has offered to fight the Brazilian while Pennington and Peña settle their grudge later this year.

  • Julianna Peña Explains What Separates Her From Other Fighters: ‘I’m Going To Fight To The Death!’

    Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña believes she has something that most of her peers do not.

    Peña, who is currently sat at #1 in the 135-pound rankings, is expected to serve as the first challenger in longtime rival Raquel Pennington’s maiden title defense following “Rocky’s” capturing of the then-vacant belt at UFC 297 this past January.

    “The Venezuelan Vixen” is in pursuit of two-time champ status, having briefly held the gold after a monumental upset against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 in December 2022. The ex-bantawmeight queen was originally set for a chance to regain the crown in a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes last June, almost a year on from the Brazilian’s emphatic victory in their rematch.

    But after injury kept her out of both that fight and the championship joust that followed Nunes’ retirement, Peña’s layoff is fast approaching the two-year mark. Nevertheless, she remains firmly in the title conversation and has no doubt about what she sees as an inevitable return to top spot.

    Peña has continued to tout her perceived superiority over the rest of the bantamweight roster, and she recently warned Pennington about the kind of fighter she’ll be facing later this year…

    Peña ‘Preparing’ To Give Her Life In Every Fight

    During an interview with MMA Crazy at UFC X doing International Fight Week, Peña looked ahead to her long-awaited comeback and the matchup that is reportedly set to stage it this October.

    “The Venezuelan Vixen” noted that nothing will change in terms of how she approaches her expected title clash with Pennington. No matter who shares the cage with, Peña claims to have a ‘fight to the death’ attitude.

    “I go into fights the same way mentally. Preparing for literally giving my entire life, and if I have to die in there, I’m gonna die in there,” Peña said. “I think that it doesn’t matter who stands across from me, I’m always going to approach it the same. I’m going to fight to the death. That, to me, is kind of what separates me from other fighters I feel like. I’m literally going to give my entire life, it doesn’t matter who stands across from me. I am my biggest opponent.”

    Peña will look to prove as much should it be required against Pennington down the line. While a date for their likely fight remains unconfirmed, current talk is placing the pair on a pay-per-view card rumored for Salt Lake City in October.

    Whether in Utah or at an event elsewhere this year, the former champion will be hoping to announce her return in style and make a firm statement to the division’s current crop of top contenders.

  • Julianna Peña Says She’s Still Being ‘Harassed’ By Her Naysayers

    UFC Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña feels she still has plenty to prove in the upcoming rematch against Amanda Nunes.

    Peña pulled off arguably the biggest upset in UFC history at UFC 269, dismantling Nunes on the feet before eventually securing a rear-naked choke for the finish. It was Nunes’ first loss in the Octagon since 2014 when she lost to Cat Zingano at UFC 178.

    Peña has enjoyed the newfound fame after her win over Nunes but still deals with her fair share of critics despite the success. During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Peña explained how she still has a vocal group of haters who believe her win over Nunes was an outlier.

    “There’s still naysayers out there,” Peña said. “There’s still people that think there was a fluke. There’s people that are still harassing me. There’s still people that are being like, ‘She’s gonna kill you.’ They’re like, ‘10 seconds and you’re dead.’ And so I would love nothing more than to put the naysayers to bed for one last time.”

    Social media trolls aren’t the only ones who have aimed at Pena following the win. Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov downplayed her victory during a recent press conference, criticizing the current level of women’s MMA. Meanwhile, Peña’s former Ultimate Fighting coach Miesha Tate believes anyone who thinks the UFC 269 outcome was a fluke is crazy.

    Peña and Nunes will have a rematch later this year following coaching opposite one another on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. Peña pulled off an all-time great victory at UFC 269, and she’s looking to prove that she’s here to stay as the UFC bantamweight queen

    How do you think the Julianna Peña -Amanda Nunes rematch will play out?

  • Julianna Peña Names Four Female Fighters She Admired As An MMA Newcomer

    The UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña admired some of the best female names in MMA during her come-up.

    With a professional record of 11 wins and 4 losses and recently defeating one of the greatest women in MMA to obtain the UFC bantamweight title, Julianna Peña is becoming a star in her own right.

    Peña took the MMA world by storm when she defeated Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. She started a fierce MMA career back in 2009 and is still going strong. So it is no surprise that the list of women MMA fighters she admires are/were strong competitors.

    “There was, the girls that were fighting before me, while I was coming up. Miesha Tate, Cris Cyborg, and Gina Carano. I loved Gina Carano. Those were the ones that I remember too,” Peña told New York Post.

    Peña and Miesha Tate became friends during their season of The Ultimate Fighter.

    Miesha Tate
    Miesha Tate, Photo Credit: Harry How/Zuffa LLC

    Tate is a former UFC bantamweight champion who owns impressive wins against the likes of Holly Holm and Jessica Eye. In May, the former champion will face Lauren Murphy for a shot back in the winner’s circle after losing the second fight of her 2021 comeback to Ketlen Vieira.

    It is also not shocking that Cris Cyborg made the list. Her name goes hand-in-hand with women’s mixed martial arts. The current Bellator bantamweight champion was in the middle of dominating her opponents when Peña was entering the professional MMA scene.

    Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg
    Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg, Photo Credit: Strikeforce

    Gina Carano was an unstoppable force until Cyborg put an end to her 7-fight win streak in 2009. It was the only loss and last fight of her MMA career.

    “Shayna Baszler, too. I remember buying her shirt and getting her autograph and being a fan of hers. And then I had to fight her on “The Ultimate Fighter.” I was like, ‘I’m fighting someone that I look up to! Someone that I think is really great!’It was so weird to be fighting a legend. That definitely happened,” Peña continued.

    Shayna Baszler
    Shayna Baszler, Photo Credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

    And an exciting match it was for Peña. She defeated her idol in round 2 by rear-naked choke. The current WWE star Baszler had an MMA record of 15-11.

    What are your thoughts on the fighters Julianna Peña admired when she started MMA?

  • Harrison Walks Back Comments About Potential Bantamweight Peña Fight

    Kayla Harrison has clarified recently publicized remarks about her interest in moving down to 135 for a fight against UFC Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña.

    As Kayla Harrison’s free agency drags on, there continues to be an abundance of time for imaginations to run rampant about what may be next for the Olympian judoka.

    Not long ago, it appeared as though the answer to that question would be a fourth year with the Professional Fighters League and an attempt at winning the women’s lightweight season for the third consecutive time. However, last week it was revealed that those talks hit a snag, and we are right back where we started with nothing but speculation, scuttlebutt, and…sarcasm?

    According to Kayla Harrison, when she mentioned potentially joining the UFC’s bantamweight division for a fight against reigning champ Julianna Peña, it was mostly a case of sarcasm gone undetected by ESPN journalist Marc Raimondi.

    “I mean, you know, Marc [Raimondi] wrote an article that kinda oversold it a little. [LAUGHS] I was kinda talkin’ shit, like, being goofy. But my goal is obviously not to fight 135 pounds,” Harrison said in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “Man, you can’t say anything without it—I gotta watch what I say from now on.

    “Obviously, I wanna fight the best in the world. Julianna is now considered the top dog, but I also heard that she would fight me at 145 for the right amount of money. So I probably won’t have to fight 135. I just wanna challenge myself and continue to get better. Do I want to fight (at) 135? Fuck no. Like, no, of course not. But I was kinda joking around in there. My sarcasm went over his head.”

    A Kayla Harrison Bantamweight Fight Still Possible If…

    Kayla Harrison
    MMA Junkie

    Sarcasm aside, there is a scenario where Harrison would be more open to fighting at 135 in the distant future against a hypothetical future beast who calls to be slain. Until then, it would take an obscene amount of money to shift her any lower than 145 lbs.

    “Yeah, unless I get offered a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money,” Harrison said about featherweight being the only option for a fight against Peña. “Or if there’s like some undefeated, young, hungry absolute killer who’s at 135 and she starts talkin’ a little smack, maybe then I’d have to come down. But other than that, no.”

    Harrison currently competes at 155 lbs., but she has competed at 145 before. She has never fought at 135, however, and amidst the trash talk between the two champions, Peña doubted that she ever could. But if Harrison were able to prove her wrong and make the weight, “The Venezuelan Vixen” stated she’d be more than happy to welcome her to bantamweight.

    As Harrison alluded to, Peña also said she’d fight Harrison or anyone else for that matter at any weight as long as she is paid the right amount of money. So while Harrison may be walking back her sarcastic words from an earlier interview, she seems keen to hold Peña to hers if the two ever turn trash talk into blockbuster action.

    Who do you think would win a fight between Kayla Harrison and Julianna Peña?

  • Julianna Peña Questions White About Compensation For Nunes Rematch

    UFC Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña has grinded her way to the top of women’s MMA, and she wants to be compensated for it.

    Peña pulled off arguably the greatest upset in UFC history at UFC 269, dismantling Amanda Nunes on the feet and eventually securing a submission victory. After the win, she and UFC President Dana White began to hype up the idea of a rematch.

    Last week, it was revealed that the rematch between Peña and Nunes will take place after they coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite one another. Prior to the announcement, White himself had already declared that the bout will be the biggest fight in women’s MMA history.

    During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Peña explained why a rematch with Nunes has the chance to shatter records.

    “What did (Dana White) say? The biggest women’s fight in history,” Peña said. “In history. So I mean, makes sense. You gotta have a dance partner. It takes two to tango. It’s not just a one-stop shop here. You have to have somebody that’s gonna wanna dance with you. And what better opponent than somebody that just beat you and just put a blemish on your gigantic record of being the greatest of all time?”

    Peña went on to hint at her desire for a massive payday for the Nunes rematch, using White’s previous comments against him.

    “Biggest fight in women’s history sounds pretty big to me,” Peña continued. “And he said Kayla Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes was like a mega-million dollar fight. He’s quoted as saying ‘mega-million dollar fight.’ So if that’s the case, then what is this? I think it’s bigger.”

    It’s hard to debate against the Peña/Nunes rematch being among the biggest fights in women’s MMA history. And from the sounds of it, “The Venezuelan Vixen” wants to be given a massive paycheck for her part in it.

    How big of a fight do you think the rematch between Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes will be?

  • Nunes During Face-To-Face With Peña: I Just Want To Be 100% Ths Time

    Amanda Nunes wants to prove her backers right when she gets a second chance against Julianna Peña after the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

    Earlier today, MMA News broke the news that Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes will be coaching the next season of TUF opposite one another. We now know that the new season will kick off on May 3 after news became public following an appearance from Peña on Ellen. You can peep the official poster down below.

    Image

    Shortly after this news and the team rosters were released, Peña and Nunes sat down for a virtual face-to-face interview moderated by ESPN’s Michael Eaves. Here were some of the main talking points from the joint interview.

    • Peña reiterated her enthusiasm to give back to the next generation of fighters after getting her start on TUF almost a full decade ago.
    • Nunes touched briefly on her decision to leave American Top Team, stating that she has always wanted to be a coach and that she expects this process to help her in the rematch.
    • When asked what life has been like since pulling off one of MMA’s biggest upsets of all time, Peña stated that she is not resting on her laurels and is looking forward to putting the Nunes chapter of her career behind her so that she can see what’s next.

    “Honestly, of course, the belt is something that all of us chase. At this point in my life, I just want to show up 100% how I want to be. So with the belt, without the belt, I just want to really, really prove I’m better than her.” – Amanda Nunes

    From Amanda Nunes’ Twitter

    In what was perhaps the most noteworthy tidbit from this interview, Nunes claims that she was not 100% in her UFC 269 bout against Peña and that her primary objective going into the rematch is not about winning, losing, or championships, but just showing up at full strength, which she claims was not the case last December.

    Nunes did not specify what precisely was ailing her, however, it is common knowledge that she reportedly came down with COVID-19 last year, which is what caused the postponement of this fight, which was originally scheduled for UFC 265.

    You can view the full virtual face-to-face interview below.

    Are you looking forward to the next season of The Ultimate Fighter hosted by Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes?