Julianna
Pena wants to defend her title against Amanda
Nunes if she dethrones Raquel
Pennington at UFC
307.
Pena (11-5) will challenge Pennington (16-8) for the women’s
bantamweight title in the UFC 307 co-main event on Oct. 5 at the
Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same card also features a
potential title eliminator between Ketlen
Vieira (14-3) and Kayla
Harrison (17-1). Pena claims to know that the winner of Vieira
vs. Harrison has been promised the next title shot against the
winner of her clash against Pennington.
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“I don’t think, I know. I know for a fact that they told whoever is
going to be the winner of that fight will face me for the belt,”
Pena told MMA Junkie. “And that will be my
title defense. So yes, that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Vieira is 1-3 in her last four, having only dropped a razor-thin
split decision against Pennington in January 2023. Meanwhile,
former
Professional Fighters League champ and two-time Olympic gold
medallist Harrison made her Octagon debut with a submission win
over Holly Holm in
April.
However, Pena would prefer a trilogy clash against former foe Nunes
for her first title defense if she beats Pennington. Pena became
champ with a submission win over Nunes in their first meeting at
UFC 269 in 2021, marking one of the greatest upsets in the MMA
history. She then lost her title via a lopsided unanimous decision
in their rematch at UFC 277. While a rubber match was scheduled for
UFC 289 in 2023, Pena pulled out due to a broken rib sustained in
sparring, which has since sidelined her. Nunes went on to beat
short-notice replacement Irene
Aldana via unanimous decision and then left her gloves in the
cage.
Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order
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Pena has consistently been trying to coax Nunes out of retirement.
“The Lioness” has also made clear that she misses fighting,
although she hasn’t said anything definitive about returning. Pena
reiterated her interest in a trilogy fight against Nunes, over a
potential clash against Harrison.
“I’m hoping that Amanda will want to come out of retirement, and
I’m willing to bet that she will be there, and she’ll be watching
very intently. And I don’t believe that she truly is as done as she
claims as she is. I think that she misses the sport, I think that
she doesn’t know what to do with herself now that she’s not
fighting and I think that there will be a little green, envious
monster in her saying that, ‘I can go back there. I can do this.’
Her thinking she can beat me. So, I know she probably feels that
she doesn’t have anything to prove against me. I know that she
particularly is not fond of Kayla more than she is not fond of me.
But my goal will be to get Amanda to get back inside the octagon
with me, and that will be the biggest women’s fight in UFC
history.”