Julianna Pena is not impressed by Mayra Bueno Silva’s recent comments.
Amanda Nunes’ retirement at UFC 289 on June 10, 2023, has completely shifted the landscape of the women’s Bantamweight division. Since then, a new top contender, Bueno Silva, emerged at UFC Vegas 77 this past weekend (July 15, 2023), submitting former UFC champion, Holly Holm, via a second round ninja choke (watch highlights).
Before and after her win, Bueno Silva, 31, laughed off the idea of a Pena vs. Raquel Pennington vacant title fight as well as Pena’s inclusion overall. Hearing the comments from the surging Brazilian contender, the former champion, Pena, couldn’t help but have a laugh herself.
“I thought it was funny,” Pena said on The MMA Hour. “The thing is that, like, I’ve been around since the very beginning, since 2013, when the division started. So one good win, two good wins? No, I’m the first-ever woman to win The Ultimate Fighter.
“I’m the first mom champ,” she continued. “I’m the first to beat somebody who hadn’t been beaten in seven years and finish them. I finished everybody on The Ultimate Fighter. She’s saying that I don’t have any good fights. I literally beat everybody on The Ultimate Fighter. So after that, then I fought more, and then I had that devastating knee injury. So at that point, I think I was 7-0, and then I fought Valentina [Shevchenko].
“So dropped one fight, 7-1, had a baby, came back, and then was able to win a world title,” Pena concluded. “And she says that I only have two good fights. I mean, literally, I’m the baddest mother of all time, and Mayra is my biggest fan and [Amanda Nunes’] tampon holder. That’s the reality of the situation.”
Nunes’ final career win came against Irene Aldana at the aforementioned UFC 289, defending her title successfully via unanimous decision. The bout was originally slated to be the trilogy with Pena, who suffered a rib injury that led to her withdrawal.
Between the top three candidates for the inevitable 135-pound vacant title clash, Pena is 3-3 in her last six bouts (11-5 overall), losing a unanimous decision to Nunes in her last time out (watch highlights). Meanwhile, Bueno Silva (11-2-1) and Pennington (15-8) have amassed strong four and five-fight winning streaks, respectively. For Brazil’s “Sheetara,” she’s won her last three by submission.
“Did you hear [Silva] said that she couldn’t beat Amanda? Talking to you, she said she couldn’t beat Amanda. But I — who’ve been chasing Amanda for the last seven years — am afraid of … Amanda’s tampon holder?” Pena said. “I don’t understand how that works exactly. I’m literally giving you the beginning of the UFC, [Combate Global CEO] Campbell McLaren’s fight-four-people-in-one-night-offer opportunity. I’m offering you to wait in line. I’ll wait for you in the cage after I beat Raquel, and I’ll fight you on the same night, and then you’re gonna sit there and say that I’m afraid of you? Like, GTFOH, dude, I’m not having it.
“She just did the right thing, and she’s trying to make some waves so that she can get a title fight,” she concluded. “But the reality of the situation is that me and Raquel have had some bad blood brewing for the last 10 years since we were on The Ultimate Fighter together, and that fight’s got to come first, first and foremost.”