Julianna Peña is desiring a fight with Raquel Pennington to settle old scores from their time together on The Ultimate Fighter 18; Peña alleges that Pennington harbored hostility towards her and did not commit to training during the competition, and despite mentoring Pennington on dressing and makeup, Peña discovered Pennington’s grudge against her through an interview on UFC’s website.
Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington, both well-known figures in the octagon, never got a chance to face off there. However, they did share quite an experience together under the same roof during their stint on the show ‘The Ultimate Fighter 18’, ten years ago. Even after a decade, Peña holds Pennington as her prime focus, harboring a score to settle.
Peña vividly remembers Pennington’s distaste for her during their time on the show. She recalls how Pennington would often badmouth her, accusing Peña of being a brat for not spending time at the late-night gatherings where she was the subject of conversation. This constant friction emerged during their seven-week cohabitation, making it clear to Peña that Pennington wasn’t her friend. However, Peña still stood victorious in the show, while Pennington was eliminated by Jessica Rakoczy in the semifinal round. During the competition, the friction between the two was evident despite being roommates and teammates under Miesha Tate‘s leadership.
Further, Peña was troubled by Pennington’s late-night habits of staying up till wee hours partying with other eliminated contestants, causing her to miss out on dedicated practice sessions. When Peña would get to her routine, gathering her gear and medicine, Pennington found it bothersome and blamed Peña for causing noise on purpose. Peña stressed that their shared accommodations and Pennington’s own choices were to blame for her sluggish mornings and absences from practice.
Pennington’s hostility towards Peña became apparent during an interview segment for the UFC website in which Pennington expressed a desire to beat up Peña without reason. Peña was baffled by this revelation, especially given the help she had offered Pennington during the show, from lending her clothes to teaching her to walk like a lady. However, Pennington couldn’t progress past Jessica Rakoczy in the competition, whom Peña had dominated. This longtime feud has been brewing ever since, and Peña is confident that a face-off with Pennington has been a long time coming. Currently, the UFC has informed Peña that the next title shot is hers to take, and she sees Pennington as her top choice for her opponent.