Tag: Julianna Pena

As she prepares to face dominant two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes, bantamweight contender Julianna Peña has suggested there’s “no such thing as an underdog.”

The oddsmakers and most in the MMA community would certainly have something to say about that, with not many believing Peña has much of a chance at dethroning the “Lioness” this weekend at UFC 269.

Peña, who currently sits at #3 in the 135-pound rankings, has gone 2-2 in her last four appearances. But while defeats to current flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko and inaugural featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie have prevented a winning streak from developing, “The Venezuelan Vixen” certainly gave a good effort in both contests. Until making some mistakes, Peña believes she was well on her way to two victories, a theory that’s hard to argue against.

She’ll look to avoid committing similar errors inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. If she does make them, a killer like Nunes, who is unbeaten since 2014 and has defended the bantamweight title five times, will likely pounce.

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Peña: “No One Is Ever Giving Me A Fair Shake”

In a scenario that Nunes has admitted is a fresh experience for her, Peña has attacked her first title shot with aggression and trash talk. To go along with that, “The Venezuelan Vixen” has boasted an air of confidence that not many would associate with a rival of the Brazilian champion.

During a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Peña gave some insight into her attitude and positive mindset, citing faith and self-belief as the tools behind her immense confidence.

“I have an unwavering amount of faith in God and making sure that I’m doing everything that I need to do in order to get my hand raised. So I did all the work and then I have this unwavering faith and belief in myself. I almost feel like it’s a David vs. Goliath type situation, where all these chips are stacked against me, and I just know that at the end of the day, I have faith in God and I have faith in my abilities and I have faith in my skillset. I think that that strong mentality has carried me through in all of my fights.”

Her confidence, however, hasn’t been enough to convince too many people of her ability to dethrone Nunes. That’s in spite of her consistent claims that fans and pundits are “sleeping on her.”

Despite still sitting as a heavy underdog heading into the final pay-per-view of the year, Peña denied that status, saying underdogs don’t exist.

“If you just look at any of the media or anything that the commentators say, no one is ever giving me a fair shake. They’re always considering me an underdog and they’re always counting me out. I was counted out on The Ultimate Fighter, no one thought I was gonna win. I ended up winning a show that was one of the toughest competitions in sports.

“When Amanda fights me, she’s not gonna be thinking, ‘Oh, she’s just some underdog.’ I don’t think that’s gonna be playing through her mind. So it doesn’t matter, there’s no such thing as an underdog. We’re going to go get into a fistfight in a steel cage, and there’s not much more I can say to it other than keep it simple.”

If Peña manages to have her hand raised against the consensus female MMA GOAT, it would represent one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, and everyone loves an underdog (or an existing Peña-approved equivalent).

How do you think Julianna Peña will fare against reigning two-division champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269?

Continue Reading Julianna Peña: “There’s No Such Thing As An Underdog” at MMA News.

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Julianna Peña has provided some context behind her recent record for those who still doubt her credentials ahead of UFC 269.

In this weekend’s co-main event, Peña will be the sixth woman to attempt to put an end to Nunes’ dominant reign over the 135-pound weight class. If she succeeds, she’ll achieve what the likes of Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Holly Holm failed to do, and hand the “Lioness” her first loss in over seven years.

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As expected with a Nunes defense, especially when it comes after a first-round mauling against Megan Anderson earlier this year, not many are giving Peña even a slight chance of having her hand raised inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Despite that, “The Venezuelan Vixen” has had an aura of confidence about her that not many have had ahead of challenging the Brazilian. She’s consistently stated that fans and pundits are wrongly sleeping on her ahead of the final pay-per-view of the year. Even Nunes admitted she hasn’t faced a trash-talker like Peña before.

Peña Claims She Had Shevchenko “Dead In The Water”

But many believe Peña’s willingness to engage in verbal warfare with Nunes is what landed her this opportunity, especially given her 2-2 record across her last four outings. The #3-ranked bantamweight contender has shut down that idea, and recently provided some context behind her last two defeats.

During an appearance at UFC 269 media day on Wednesday, Peña reminded her doubters that her last two setbacks came against the promotion’s inaugural featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie and the reigning flyweight queen Shevchenko, who is widely regarded as one of the most dominant champions in the UFC right now. She also claimed she had both “dead in the water” before making mistakes that led to her downfall in each defeat.

“I mean, if you look back any of my previous fights, I’ve only dropped two fights in the last 10 years, and they were to champions. And I was winning. If you go back and you look back at those fights, I’m literally winning them. I have them dead in the water. I made some amateur mistakes that I have been able to clean up, and I’m ready to execute. And I think that the most important thing is to just go out there, and just do my job, and focus on what I can do, and make sure that I execute.”

While “dead in the water” is perhaps a strong term, there’s is certainly some legitimacy behind her claim. In an effort better than most who have fought Shevchenko in recent years, Peña secured the opening round when they met in 2017 before getting caught in a quick second-frame armbar.

Similarly, “The Venezuelan Vixen” appeared to be pulling away with her 2020 clash against de Randamie in the final round, before again falling into a submission. That time, it was a guillotine that marked the end of the contest.

If she’s to have any chance at victory this weekend, Peña will certainly have to be at the top of her game, avoid making the “amateur mistakes” she admits she did in her previous losses, and hope that Nunes isn’t the same brute she’s been in recent defenses.

Do you believe Julianna Peña has what it takes to dethrone Amanda Nunes at UFC 269?

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Gives Her Doubters A History Lesson Ahead Of UFC 269 at MMA News.