Former UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Pena shocked the world with her second-round submission win over Amanda Nunes in the UFC 269 pay-per-view (PPV) main event back in late 2021, but then failed to retain her title when the promotion granted an immediate rematch in the UFC 277 headliner last July.
So with the score tied one apiece, and neither fighter securing a bantamweight booking for early 2023, “The Venezuelan Vixen” is hoping the promotion will rubber stamp a third go-round for the 135-pound title. If Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno can get four UFC title fights, then surely Pena and Nunes can get three.
“The champ Amanda doesn’t have a fight, and former champ soon to be and new champ does not have a fight, so I feel like that’s the only fight to make,” Pena told MMA Junkie. “That’s the only fight that makes sense for me, and that’s the only fight I see in my future. For me, there could be no other answer. They’re making Deiveson Figuieredo vs. Brandon Moreno 4 for Pete’s sake. I finished her the first time, I ran out of time the second time, and I allowed her that opportunity to make those adjustments and to go back and change those things in that camp in the rematch. I absolutely feel like the kosher thing to do would be to allow me to make the same adjustments.”
Pena, 33, dropped to 11-5 with her recent loss to Nunes but managed to maintain her No. 1 spot in the women’s bantamweight rankings. That said, “Lioness” also holds the 145-pound title, so it’s not yet known which direction the promotion plans to go in terms of matchmaking. Hopefully we can get some answers within the next few weeks.