Julianna Peña defends her title shot at UFC 307 against Raquel Pennington, despite criticism over her recent loss and layoff, emphasizing her past victory over Amanda Nunes and dismissing claims that Kayla Harrison should be the contender.
Julianna Peña knows the critics are out there. They question her title shot after a loss and a two-year hiatus.
This Saturday, the former champ steps back into the octagon. She’ll face Raquel Pennington for the women’s bantamweight title at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.
Many in the MMA community think Kayla Harrison deserves the shot instead. After all, she had an impressive finish against Holly Holm at UFC 300.
But “The Venezuelan Vixen” strongly disagrees.
“It’s unfair for someone to beat a 45-year-old, get one win, and jump ahead of girls who’ve been in the division longer,” Peña told MMA Fighting. “No one else stopped Amanda Nunes like I did at UFC 269.”
Peña pointed out that even Raquel wanted to quit on the stool. “I slayed the GOAT that no one could beat for over seven years,” she added. “That alone earns me this title shot, layoff or not.”
In her last fight, Peña faced Nunes again at UFC 277 in July 2022. Nunes dominated, winning unanimously and even scoring a 50-43.
Their trilogy fight was set for UFC 289 in June 2023. However, an injury forced Peña out, leading to Nunes fighting Irene Aldana instead and retiring with a unanimous decision win.
Peña believes her second fight with Nunes tells a different story than the scorecards suggest. “Sure, I lost on paper,” she said. “But I had a deep armbar in the fourth round that could’ve ended it.”
“I had a mere flesh wound cut on my face,” Peña continued. “Yeah, I got dropped several times but never knocked out. Amanda couldn’t finish me; she left in crutches and a wheelchair.”
“So did you beat me? Maybe on scorecards. But if we were locked in a room with only one coming out, it would be me,” she asserted. “I’m a great warrior and will give hell or die trying.”
As for Kayla Harrison, she won’t challenge for the title just yet. She’ll be competing against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307.
Peña thinks Harrison should focus on her upcoming fight. “The UFC is strategic,” she explained. “The winner of that fight will face me next for the title.”
“Kayla should stop mentioning my name and concentrate on Ketlen,” Peña warned. “Because Ketlen ain’t no slouch.”