The former women’s bantamweight champion sounded ready for five more rounds with UFC champ-champ Amanda Nunes.
When Julianna Pena defeated Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 to win the women’s bantamweight title, she declared it the end of the Nunes era and the beginning of the Pena era. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long. Seven months later, and Nunes returned with a vengeance, battering Pena across five rounds to regain her champ-champ status (watch the highlights here).
Pena was left bloodied and UFC president Dana White said she’d require a plastic surgeon to repair the damage inflicted by “The Lioness.” But word of her disfigurement was overblown. In a statement released on social media by “The Venezuelan Vixen,” Pena gave an update on her health and spirits, both of which seem fine.
“Tougher than a two dollar steak,” Pena wrote on her Instagram. “Thanks for the love everyone! Just a cat scratch that required a few stitches, no chunks missing, no surgery necessary. Love you all! We’re 1-1 now #peopleschamp #trilogy #penavsnunes3 #lfg”
As you can see, Pena is still calling herself the People’s Champ, and she’s also calling for a trilogy fight against Amanda Nunes. That wasn’t a fight that UFC president Dana White seemed too interested in setting up, given Nunes’ “dominant” performance over Pena in fight number two.
“I thought it was completely dominant,” he told reporters at the UFC 277 post-fight press conference. “There were five knockdowns in the first two rounds…. There’s a big difference between submission attempts and knockdowns. It’s not even comparable.”
While he didn’t directly say that he wanted to make a fight between Amanda Nunes and women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko next, he certainly hinted that it was the smart fight to make.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea,” White said. “Normally I would say ‘Come on, man.’ That’s not a bad idea. I mean, really, when you think about it. I’m not saying yes, I’m just saying it’s not a bad idea.”
So it seems like if Julianna Pena wants to settle things with a trilogy fight, she’ll have to tough her way back into the number one contender’s spot in the women’s bantamweight division.