Tag: Julianna Pena

Valentina Shevchenko Believes 2022 Title Fight Against Julianna Peña, Amanda Nunes Is ‘Very Possible’

Valentina ShevchenkoReigning UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko believes a future bantamweight division return against either current champion, Julianna Pena, or former champion and two-time foe, Amanda Nunes is quite likely, before the close of 2022. Shevchenko, the current flyweight champion, is slated to co-headline UFC 275 on June 11. in Singapore – drawing surging contender and […]

Valentina Shevchenko

Reigning UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko believes a future bantamweight division return against either current champion, Julianna Pena, or former champion and two-time foe, Amanda Nunes is quite likely, before the close of 2022.

Shevchenko, the current flyweight champion, is slated to co-headline UFC 275 on June 11. in Singapore – drawing surging contender and Brazil native, Taila Santos in an attempt to secure her stunning, seventh successful defense of the flyweight throne.

The Kyrgyzstan native most recently featured in the co-headliner of UFC 266 back in September of last year, turning in a dominant striking performance en route to an eventual fourth round ground strikes win over Lauren Murphy.

As for a division higher, newly minted bantamweight champion, Pena, who previously shared the Octagon with Shevchenko – is slated to headline UFC 277 on July 30. at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas – matching with Nunes in a title re-run.

Valentina Shevchenko welcomes a bantamweight title return before the close of this year

Moving to the flyweight division following a second career loss to then-champion, Nunes at UFC 215 in September 2017, Shevchenko has embarked on an eight-fight winning spree at 125lbs. And amid her continual roughshod run through contenders, Shevchenko firmly flirted with a bantamweight title excursion against either Pena or Nunes before the end of this annum.

“I think so, I think there is always a chance,” Valentina Shevchenko told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour when asked if she would consider a move back to the bantamweight division. “There is always a chance, and I think – the bigger fight, the better, right?”

“I think by the end of the year, I think it’s going to be a good fight,” Valentina Shevchenko said of a title fight with Pena or Nunes. “Also, we have to have to see – Miesha Tate is coming to 125 in July, so it’s like – many things can happen, many things can change, right? I think it’s possible, it’s very, very, very possible.”

In her first fight with Nunes back in March 2016 at UFC 196, Shevchenko suffered a unanimous decision loss to the current featherweight champion – however, managed to stop reigning gold holder, Pena with a second round armbar in the main event of UFC Fight Night Denver in January 2017.

Shevchenko Points To The Key For Nunes To Win Peña Rematch

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has detailed what the key to victory will be for Amanda Nunes when she faces Julianna Peña again. When Nunes next enters the Octagon, it’ll be in a unique scenario: avenging a loss and re-capturing a title. The woman responsible for dragging the “Lioness” off the two-division throne is…

Continue Reading Shevchenko Points To The Key For Nunes To Win Peña Rematch at MMA News.

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has detailed what the key to victory will be for Amanda Nunes when she faces Julianna Peña again.

When Nunes next enters the Octagon, it’ll be in a unique scenario: avenging a loss and re-capturing a title. The woman responsible for dragging the “Lioness” off the two-division throne is Peña.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” made good on her predictions at UFC 269 when she submitted the “Lioness” in arguably the greatest upset in the promotion’s history. By securing her status as bantamweight queen, Peña handed Nunes her first loss since 2014 and snapped the Brazilian’s 12-fight win streak.

Now, the pair are preparing for a rematch fueled by animosity on both sides and Nunes’ desire for revenge. The two 135lbers will run it back following the culmination of this year’s The Ultimate Fighter season, which features both as rival coaches.

Ahead of their second meeting, a former opponent of both has given her take on how the second fight could play out. Shevchenko, who has two defeats to Nunes and one victory over Peña on her record, believes that the rematch will be won and lost based on the fighting shape of the former champ.

“If Amanda will be in the same shape [as when] she fought Julianna that time, definitely Julianna has all chances to win [against her],” Shevchenko told Cageside Press. “But if Amanda will be in the fight shape [as when] she fought me, I think she will get back her belt, and they will still come back for this third fight.”

While she appeared gracious in defeat last December, Nunes has since sought to explain her loss, which has involved taking most of the credit away form the newly-crowned titleholder. Among the reasons noted for her shock defeat, the “Lioness” revealed that she’d gone through camp with a host of injuries.

While Nunes will look to prove her claims of superiority over Peña by entering their rematch at 100%, the champ will be targeting another moment to rub in the face of her doubters.

How do you think the rematch between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña will play out?

Continue Reading Shevchenko Points To The Key For Nunes To Win Peña Rematch at MMA News.

Peña: If You Didn’t Believe Me Pre-UFC 269, Believe Me Pre-Rematch

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes now is the time for her previous doubters to hop over the fence and back her. Leading into the final pay-per-view of 2021, Peña was seen by most as little more than the latest prey for a “Lioness” who’d dominated everyone before her for years. With perhaps the…

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UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes now is the time for her previous doubters to hop over the fence and back her.

Leading into the final pay-per-view of 2021, Peña was seen by most as little more than the latest prey for a “Lioness” who’d dominated everyone before her for years. With perhaps the most surprising upset in UFC history, that narrative came crumpling down courtesy of a second-round submission victory for “The Venezuelan Vixen.”

Now five months beyond her memorable title crowning, Peña is preparing for her first defense, and it’ll come against the woman she dethroned at UFC 269. But despite her performance in December, the 135-pound queen is still feeling disrespected.

Peña: “I’m Gonna Do The Exact Same Thing”

During a recent appearance on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, Peña discussed the reaction to her memorable victory, which ended Nunes’ thought-to-be unstoppable two-division rule.

As well as by fan perception, the champ feels disrespected by how Nunes has changed her tune post-fight. Despite appearing to accept the loss immediately after, the Brazilian has attempted to lessen Peña’s accomplishment since, something that doesn’t sit well with “The Venezuelan Vixen.”

“Everybody says that it was a fluke, and she had her knees hurt, and she had a bad night,” said Peña. “She was very gracious in defeat, but then turned around and said, ‘No, that didn’t happen, you’re not really the champion.’ She just can’t accept it because now all these excuses are pouring out.”

Believing that Nunes’ opinion is shared across the MMA community, Peña is fully expecting to enter their rematch as an underdog again, and with many of her previous detractors ready to doubt her once more.

But Peña warned them that she plans on repeating the exact feat she did at UFC 269, so best get on the champion’s bandwagon second time around.

“I bet you anything I’ll still be the underdog in the rematch, and I bet you everyone’s still gonna count me out. A lot of people are,” acknowledged Peña. “That’s why I am doing this. I’m doing it to say you have to accept this… People think it was a fluke. They think she had a bad night.

“(At UFC 269) I did exactly everything that I said I was going to do, and everyone said I was crazy, and no one believed me. So, now I gotta go do it again, and I’m gonna tell you again, I’m gonna do the same exact thing,” insisted Peña. “If you didn’t believe me back then, and you didn’t believe me after that dominating win, then you’re gonna have to believe me the second time.”

The pair are set to run it back following this year’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter. When they do, Peña will look to bring out her ‘I told you so banner’ for the second time in as many calendar years.

How do you think he rematch between Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes will play out?

Continue Reading Peña: If You Didn’t Believe Me Pre-UFC 269, Believe Me Pre-Rematch at MMA News.

Peña Describes The Difference Between Women’s & Men’s MMA

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes there’s a stark difference in the male and female motivation for fighting. For the past 13 years, Peña has competed as a professional mixed martial artist. Having been through the ups and downs of the sport, “The Venezuelan Vixen” currently finds herself at the top of the mountain,…

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UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes there’s a stark difference in the male and female motivation for fighting.

For the past 13 years, Peña has competed as a professional mixed martial artist. Having been through the ups and downs of the sport, “The Venezuelan Vixen” currently finds herself at the top of the mountain, having won the 135-pound title on MMA’s biggest stage last December.

At UFC 269, Peña seemingly did the impossible, ending the dominant two-weight rule of Amanda Nunes. But despite experiencing the glory and inevitable fame of holding a UFC championship, Peña fights for different reasons.

While the men battle for fame and wealth, the bantamweight queen says she and her fellow female fighters enter the cage for “empowerment.”

“Women are here to stay. We are, I think, fighting to empower ourselves as women. Maybe men might wanna fight for rich(es), or (to be) famous, or to impress people, but women, we fight for different reasons,” Peña suggested during an appearance on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox. “I think one of those reasons is empowering ourselves, taking control of our own lives, and feeling empowered, like, ‘We can do it.’ That’s one thing I love about women’s fighting.”

Peña went on to admit that her initial venture into mixed martial arts came from a need to lose weight. But after seeing how her fights inspire other girls, notably her daughter, the champ now has another reason to lace up the gloves.

“Fo me, when I was coming up, I didn’t take into consideration what it is that I was doing. I didn’t join mixed martial arts to empower myself. I just kind of got into it because I needed to lose some weight,” said Peña. “However, over the years, I’m realizing, there’s other little girls that are looking up to you, there are other little girls that wanna be in your shoes, and wanna do what you’re doing.

“That, to me, is empowering. That is motivation to wanna continue to give it my all, especially now that I have a daughter and that she’s looking up to me… I want to let her know, anything is possible, you just have to believe in yourself,” concluded Peña.

For Peña to continue inspiring others from the bantamweight throne, she’ll have to repeat the remarkable feat that she accomplished at 2021’s final pay-per-view. Following the culmination of this year’s season of The Ultimate Fighter, “The Venezuelan Vixen” will share the Octagon with consensus female GOAT Nunes for the second time.

While she’s once again being regarded as the underdog, it’s safe to say that not many are totally counting out Peña’s chances after the way she shocked the world last time out.

Do you agree with Julianna Peña?

Continue Reading Peña Describes The Difference Between Women’s & Men’s MMA at MMA News.

Julianna Peña: Kayla Harrison Was Absolutely Never Going To Leave PFL

Julianna Peña was ready to welcome Kayla Harrison to the UFC but wasn’t confident about the chances of her signing in free agency. Harrison re-signed with the PFL after the league matched an offer from Bellator in free agency earlier this year. She had been in discussions with the UFC, Bellator, and PFL as she…

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Julianna Peña was ready to welcome Kayla Harrison to the UFC but wasn’t confident about the chances of her signing in free agency.

Harrison re-signed with the PFL after the league matched an offer from Bellator in free agency earlier this year. She had been in discussions with the UFC, Bellator, and PFL as she pondered her next move.

Harrison was in attendance to watch Peña upset Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 last December. A fight between Nunes and Harrison was considered to be a possibility with a win over Peña.

During a recent interview with Morning Kombat, Peña explained why she wasn’t shocked by Harrison’s free-agency decision.

“No, if you go back to my interviews months ago, I knew she was gonna stay with the PFL and I said she wasn’t coming over here. And I knew she absolutely wouldn’t be making that jump,” Peña said.

“The PFL has surrounded their entire organization and hinged their entire operation off one girl, and that’s Kayla. They cannot lose their one dog that they got in the fight, it’s not gonna happen. So they’re going to hang onto her for everything they’ve got. And guess what? I’m not hating on you boo-boo, get your paper. You just won $2 million in the last two years fighting these tomato cans. Do you. Get your money.”

Peña went on to criticize Harrison’s lack of high-caliber competition in the PFL while also touting her own fighting résumé.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to [say she’s fighting] tomato cans, I just mean to say that I think nine of her wins were off of TUF alternates,” Pena continued. “I’m fighting the elite, I’m fighting the best of the best, I’m fighting world champion after world champion: Nicco Montaño, Valentina Shevchenko, Germaine de Randamie, Amanda Nunes. I’m fighting the hitters out there.

Julianna Peña
Julianna

“So she was welcome to come, she didn’t come. So when her contract’s up she’ll be welcome to come again. And if she wants to come jump ship, then we’ll be ready and we’ll be welcoming her with open arms.”

Harrison made her 2022 PFL debut last Friday in a victorious effort against Marina Mokhnatkina in the main event of PFL 3. Peña will face Nunes in a title rematch later this year following their time as coaches in the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter.

While hopes of a Harrison vs. Nunes matchup are diminished, for now, the probability of an eventual clash between Peña and Harrison remains in the cards.

Did Kayla Harrison’s free agency decision surprise you?

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