UFC women’s flyweight contender Taila Santos is looking to pull a Julianna Peña when she challenges for Valentina Shevchenko’s title this weekend. Since a debut defeat to Mara Romero Borella, Santos has gone 4-0 inside the Octagon, adding the names of Molly McCann, Roxanne Modafferi, Gillian Robertson, and Joanne Wood to her promotional slate. Now…
UFC women’s flyweight contender Taila Santos is looking to pull a Julianna Peña when she challenges for Valentina Shevchenko’s title this weekend.
Since a debut defeat to Mara Romero Borella, Santos has gone 4-0 inside the Octagon, adding the names of Molly McCann, Roxanne Modafferi, Gillian Robertson, and Joanne Wood to her promotional slate.
Unsurprisingly, not many are giving the Brazilian much of a chance at victory come fight night. After all, to have her hand raised, she’ll need to become the first woman to defeat Shevchenko at flyweight, end the Kyrgyzstani’s eight-fight win streak, and do what the likes of Joanna J?drzejczyk, Jennifer Maia, Holly Holm, and Jéssica Andrade failed to do.
With that challenge in mind, Santos currently finds herself as a significant underdog, with BetOnline.ag having the 28-year-old at +400. But something about an underrated contender challenging a dominant female champion feels familiar, doesn’t it? Santos thinks so.
During a recent interview with Sherdog, the Jaraguá do Sul native was asked about the common sentiment that she has little chance of dethroning “Bullet” on June 11. For Santos, the odds and disbelief motivates her, as does the success of the reigning UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion last December.
“Those numbers just motivate me to shock the world. Respect cannot mean fear,” Santos said. “Peña fought Amanda (Nunes) stepping forward, not fearing, and that’s how she won. I’m going to do the same against Valentina. Take note, I’ll defy the odds and bring this belt to Brazil.”
Former UFC strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade is confident in her chances in a hypothetical matchup with Julianna Peña. Peña is set to face Amanda Nunes in a title rematch later this year at UFC 277. She pulled off arguably the biggest upset in UFC history last December at UFC 269, submitting Nunes in the second…
Former UFC strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade is confident in her chances in a hypothetical matchup with Julianna Peña.
Peña is set to face Amanda Nunes in a title rematch later this year at UFC 277. She pulled off arguably the biggest upset in UFC history last December at UFC 269, submitting Nunes in the second round.
Andrade won a UFC title at strawweight and also is a top contender at flyweight. But, she has her eye on the bantamweight title in a division she hasn’t competed in since a loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 191.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Andrade gave her thoughts on a potential bantamweight title fight and whether Peña or Nunes would be the more favorable matchup for her.
“In theory, it’s easier to fight Julianna, especially for what she’s showed against Amanda,” Andrade said. “I really think it was more of Amanda [losing than Peña winning], because Amanda is way better than what she’s showed. She was submitted with no hooks in, you could see the pressure wasn’t too much. But I don’t know how Amanda’s weight cut was — it was two years since her last fight [at bantamweight], so something might have affected and led to that. She got tired so quickly. It wasn’t the Amanda we’re used to watching. Maybe she will show the Amanda we know in this rematch and get the belt back.
“If that doesn’t happen, I really think it’s easier to fight Julianna than the girls at 125 and 115. I hope we get the opportunity to fight one day and it’s for the belt. I think it’s the easier matchup, no doubt. We’re used to fighting girls at 125 and 115, who are faster and have power in their strikes, and people at 135 are slower, I think due to their weight and how they move. So if you get them tired, it’s over. I get better round after round, I don’t get tired, I don’t slow down, and that would be a good key for me to beat Julianna and maybe win the 135-pound belt.”
Andrade began her UFC tenure at bantamweight, earning wins over the likes of Larissa Pacheco, Sarah Moras, and Pennington. She would go on to move down to strawweight and go on a tear, winning seven of her next eight fights following the loss to Pennington in their rematch.
Andrade then pondered the chances of her moving back up to 135lbs to challenge the winner of Peña/Nunes.
“Maybe we can risk going to 135 again in the future just so I can prove people that I really won in three weight classes, but only in the final stages of my career,” Andrade said. “It could be a cool option. Fighting Julianna could be a cool test for me. Imagine that, becoming champion at 135?
“Since there’s no one to fight me at 115 and 125, put me to fight for the belt at 135. It’s an option. I’m ready for everything. I’m living here [in Las Vegas] now, so it’s much easier. If you need me, just knock on my door and I’m in.”
It’s unclear what Andrade’s next move will be in the Octagon, but she’s intrigued at the possibility of moving back to where her UFC career started and potentially becoming a multi-division UFC champion.
Do you think JéssicaAndrade could defeat Julianna Peña for the bantamweight title?
Julianna Peña has explained why she did not talk trash to Amanda Nunes during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter 30. Prior to the UFC 269 women’s bantamweight championship match between Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes, both the MMA community and Nunes took notice of just how confident Peña was going into the match. It…
Julianna Peña has explained why she did not talk trash to Amanda Nunes during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter30.
Prior to the UFC 269 women’s bantamweight championship match between Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes, both the MMA community and Nunes took notice of just how confident Peña was going into the match. It was hard not to notice, with Peña’s mouth constantly running at full speed.
Peña would tell you that none of what she said was trash talk and that she was merely telling the truth as she saw it. Either way, however you would categorize the rhetoric, Nunes recently wondered why there wasn’t more of it during the filming of the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“Since Julianna was talking a lot, being the trash talker she is, I thought she would really bring that to TUF, but it didn’t go as I expected,” Nunes told MMA Fighting.
“She was cool, completely different from who she really is. I don’t know if she was faking it because it would air on TV and she doesn’t want bad publicity. She’s too much, and everything’s full of Julianna already – imagine if she’s the way she [really] is on TUF. I think it wouldn’t be good for her, so I think she held back a little bit.”
“I don’t know if she was used to seeing me all the time and that’s why she pumped the brakes on that stuff,” Nunes said. “I even told her, ‘Don’t you talk online? I’m in front of you now, open your mouth.’ But it was cool. [Normally] I don’t talk too much but I asked her, ‘What’s up?’ That’s what TUF is all about, it’s a reality [show] and people want drama.
“I even tried to poke her a little bit to see if I could get something out of her but didn’t get much. … I didn’t understand much of it. I really expected something completely different than what she was on the show.”
Peña Explains The Lack Of TUF Talk
In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Peña opened up on why she opted to bite her tongue in the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“It’s a loaded question. And there’s a lot of points that I want to hit. First and foremost, I would like to say that she said that, you know, I was talking online and that I was trash talking leading up to the fight and that she was expecting me to trash talk more. But if you go back, everything that I said was true. Everything that I said leading up to the fight is exactly what I I did. I said what I was going to do, and then I actually did it.
“So, to me, that’s not talking trash. That’s talking facts. That’s truth. That actually happened. If I said that she gets winded when she walks up a flight of stairs – that’s a fact, that’s not me talking trash. I mean, the girl gets winded. You see that in her fights.
(AP Photo/Chase Stevens) (Chase Stevens)
“Another truth that I mentioned was that she was a champion in a division of “who?” Name three flyweights in the featherweight division. Name two, aside from Amanda. You can’t. Holly [Holm] and Germaine [de Randamie] both said that they’re true 135-ers. Megan Anderson retired. Cris Cyborg doesn’t fight in the UFC. I can’t wrack my brain for who she’s a champion of in a division that’s doesn’t even have a ranking one to 10.
“So again, that’s not me talking trash that is stating a fact. And then I saw in the article, she agreed with me. She agreed and she said that, you know, there isn’t any investment in the featherweight division, and the UFC needs to step it up and do that. So it’s like, am I talking trash? Or am I telling the truth? Because you’re agreeing with what I’m saying.”
Peña would conclude her lengthy address by pinpointing why she did not trash-talk Nunes during the show. According to the champion, it’s because she pities her bantamweight rival.
“The other point that I wanted to say is, you know, it was brought to my attention through the UFC that she had to go get a sports psychologist, and that her mind was all messed up and that things weren’t clicking in the fight [at UFC 269]. And, you know, her knees were bad. And coming from somebody that’s had all sorts of things happen to me in my career – I feel bad for the poor girl. You want me to continue to talk? I already won the belt. I did my talking by winning.
“What more do you want me to say? What? You want me to burn the church down, too? Honestly, like, I just, I feel bad for her. She fired her whole team, she had to go see a sports psychologist, she had to go get stuff under wraps so that nobody could know what was going on. She lost her belt. She’s never been tapped. She hadn’t lost in seven years. Like, I feel bad. I already won, and that was enough, you know? I’m not the type to continually pour salt on the wounds. It’s just not my style.”
“Furthermore, and my last point, I see the world a little bit differently now that I’m on top of the world. I’m on top of the mountain. My job is to make sure that I’m hitting all of my obligations, that I’m meeting all these media obligations, that I’m hitting on my training obligations, and that I stay at the top of the mountain and kick everyone off that’s trying to climb up it. That’s my job. So, I don’t have time to respond to every little thing that everyone’s going to say to me. My job is to just make sure that I stay at the top of the mountain and that’s my focus.”
Julianna Peña will look to perform that job next month at UFC 277 in Dallas, Texas in the main event against Amanda Nunes. Here, “The Venezuelan Vixen” will look to once again back up her initial talk dating back to last year while silencing any lingering doubts from the audience and any potential rebuttals from “The Lioness.”
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Former two-division UFC women’s champion Amanda Nunes is of the impression that Julianna Pena held back the trash talk. Following a major upset win Pena secured to snatch the UFC bantamweight title from Nunes, the pair were put together to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ seemed to share a sense […]
Former two-division UFC women’s champion Amanda Nunes is of the impression that Julianna Pena held back the trash talk.
Following a major upset win Pena secured to snatch the UFC bantamweight title from Nunes, the pair were put together to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ seemed to share a sense of animosity with the 34-year-old Brazilian and had been very vocal about criticism. The pair are slated for a rematch at UFC 277 on July 30 in Dallas, Texas.
Given the trash talk that went into their first bout, ‘Lioness’ expected more heated interactions to follow in the show. However, Nunes seems surprised by what she actually got from Pena.
Amanda Nunes expected more trash talk from Julianna Pena
In a recent appearance on MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca, Amanda Nunes detailed her surprise at Julianna Pena’s lack of trash talking when compared to her activity online. The 32-year-old had called Nunes a “high-maintenance” person along with being a “diva” on the production set for the show.
“Since Julianna was talking a lot, being the trash talker she is, I thought she would really bring that to TUF, but it didn’t go as I expected,” said Nunes.
“She was cool, completely different from who she really is. I don’t know if she was faking it because it would air on TV and she doesn’t want bad publicity. She’s too much, and everything’s full of Julianna already – imagine if she’s the way she [really] is on TUF. I think it wouldn’t be good for her, so I think she held back a little bit.”
Nunes speculated whether having daily interactions made Pena switch her stance towards her.
“I don’t know if she was used to seeing me all the time and that’s why she pumped the brakes on that stuff,” Nunes said. “I even told her, ‘Don’t you talk online? I’m in front of you now, open your mouth.’ But it was cool. [Normally] I don’t talk too much but I asked her, ‘What’s up?’ That’s what TUF is all about, it’s a reality [show] and people want drama.
“I even tried to poke her a little bit to see if I could get something out of her, but didn’t get much. … I didn’t understand much of it. I real expected something completely different than what she’s when on the show.”
Speaking on her title loss last December, Nunes shared her thoughts on why she feels like she needed it to grow.
“That was my first belt and I really want it back,” Nunes said. “That loss motivated me a lot. Instead of demotivate me, it really injected fire in me and made me rethink a lot of things and make several changes in my life. I’ll continue on this vibe. I’ll dance to the music that plays and won’t let any [belt] go without an answer.
“My love for the sport speaks louder. I love everything that surrounds MMA. It’s always hard for someone to retire, especially in their prime. This rematch will be another great achievement. I’ll get this belt back, no doubt about it, and it will be historic. That’s what makes me so fascinated about this sport.”
Former two-division UFC women’s champion Amanda Nunes is of the impression that Julianna Pena held back the trash talk. Following a major upset win Pena secured to snatch the UFC bantamweight title from Nunes, the pair were put together to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ seemed to share a sense […]
Former two-division UFC women’s champion Amanda Nunes is of the impression that Julianna Pena held back the trash talk.
Following a major upset win Pena secured to snatch the UFC bantamweight title from Nunes, the pair were put together to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ seemed to share a sense of animosity with the 34-year-old Brazilian and had been very vocal about criticism. The pair are slated for a rematch at UFC 277 on July 30 in Dallas, Texas.
Given the trash talk that went into their first bout, ‘Lioness’ expected more heated interactions to follow in the show. However, Nunes seems surprised by what she actually got from Pena.
Amanda Nunes expected more trash talk from Julianna Pena
In a recent appearance on MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca, Amanda Nunes detailed her surprise at Julianna Pena’s lack of trash talking when compared to her activity online. The 32-year-old had called Nunes a “high-maintenance” person along with being a “diva” on the production set for the show.
“Since Julianna was talking a lot, being the trash talker she is, I thought she would really bring that to TUF, but it didn’t go as I expected,” said Nunes.
“She was cool, completely different from who she really is. I don’t know if she was faking it because it would air on TV and she doesn’t want bad publicity. She’s too much, and everything’s full of Julianna already – imagine if she’s the way she [really] is on TUF. I think it wouldn’t be good for her, so I think she held back a little bit.”
Nunes speculated whether having daily interactions made Pena switch her stance towards her.
“I don’t know if she was used to seeing me all the time and that’s why she pumped the brakes on that stuff,” Nunes said. “I even told her, ‘Don’t you talk online? I’m in front of you now, open your mouth.’ But it was cool. [Normally] I don’t talk too much but I asked her, ‘What’s up?’ That’s what TUF is all about, it’s a reality [show] and people want drama.
“I even tried to poke her a little bit to see if I could get something out of her, but didn’t get much. … I didn’t understand much of it. I real expected something completely different than what she’s when on the show.”
Speaking on her title loss last December, Nunes shared her thoughts on why she feels like she needed it to grow.
“That was my first belt and I really want it back,” Nunes said. “That loss motivated me a lot. Instead of demotivate me, it really injected fire in me and made me rethink a lot of things and make several changes in my life. I’ll continue on this vibe. I’ll dance to the music that plays and won’t let any [belt] go without an answer.
“My love for the sport speaks louder. I love everything that surrounds MMA. It’s always hard for someone to retire, especially in their prime. This rematch will be another great achievement. I’ll get this belt back, no doubt about it, and it will be historic. That’s what makes me so fascinated about this sport.”
UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has a matchup with either Amanda Nunes or Julianna Peña on her radar. Shevchenko is set to make her next flyweight title defense against Taila Santos at UFC 275 on June 11. She’s won eight in a row since losing to Nunes for the bantamweight title at UFC 215…
UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has a matchup with either Amanda Nunes or Julianna Peña on her radar.
Shevchenko is set to make her next flyweight title defense against Taila Santos at UFC 275 on June 11. She’s won eight in a row since losing to Nunes for the bantamweight title at UFC 215 via a split decision.
A trilogy between Shevchenko and Nunes has been talked about for a while, and Shevchenko seems open to the idea of going back to 135lbs for a chance to become a two-weight world champion. Peña and Nunes will fight in a title rematch at UFC 277 on July 30.
“I think so,” Shevchenko said. “There’s also always a chance. Definitely the bigger fight, the better.”
Shevchenko has lost twice to Nunes but defeated Peña via second-round submission in Jan. 2017. She went on to earn the vacant flyweight title over Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 231 and has competed at 125lbs since her second loss to Nunes.
When pressed further on the idea of a fight against the Peña/Nunes winner, Shevchenko seemed confident about the chances of it coming to fruition.
“I think by the end of the year, it’s going to be a good fight. But we also have to see,” Shevchenko continued. “Miesha Tate is coming to 125, it’s in July. So many things can happen and anything can change.
“I think it’s possible. It’s very, very, very possible.”
Shevchenko isn’t lacking confidence ahead of potential rematches with Nunes and Peña. She recently claimed that she could defeat both bantamweights at the same time in the Octagon.
If Shevchenko can retain her title once again over Santos, we could be on the verge of seeing her move back up to bantamweight for a potential superfight.
Do you want to see Valentina Shevchenko challenge for the UFC bantamweight title later this year?
Former two-division UFC women’s champion Amanda Nunes is of the impression that Julianna Pena held back the trash talk. Following a major upset win Pena secured to snatch the UFC bantamweight title from Nunes, the pair were put together to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ seemed to share a sense […]