Julianna Peña has another chance of spoiling the potential plans of the UFC.
With the UFC 316 just a month old, the double COQS weight champion of the UFC is hard to prepare for his next challenger the title, Kayla Harrison. But Peña still has time for her former Rivale Amanda Nunes, who made her presence felt during the press conference of the event in April. Halfway through the procedure, the former champion with two Nunes division apparently indicated that she will put an end to her retirement after Peña against Harrison to fight against the winner.
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Speaking during the Tuesday edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Peña revealed that she and “The Lioness” then shared a brief exchange behind the scenes after the presser.
“She was quite pleasant in terms of the rest,” said Peña. “I thought we were going to have words and talk, but the security guards did a great job to separate us and ensure that we were not very close to each other.
“She said to me,” it all depends on you. Everything is in your hands, and everything will be decided and everything will be determined by you and what you do. “So she essentially says:” I will grant you the trilogy, while waiting for you to take care of your business on June 7. And that's exactly what I am ready (to do) – and I will do it. “
In the vintage manner of Peña, she said mocking to thanked Nunes after the exchange.
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The rivals are 1-1 in their two-fighting series, which began in December 2021 when Peña succeeded one of the biggest upheavals in the history of MMA with a new round of the second round to win the title. Their suite arrived about seven months later and was not as competitive – Nunes dominated Pena en route to a unanimous decision to recover the rooster weight crown, then withdrew a defense later after defeating Irene Aldana in June 2023.
Nunes against Aldana was originally supposed to be the trilogy match between Nunes and Peña, but Peña was not able to do the date due to bad shoulder injury. Peña sadly hué nunes of the crowd when her retirement announcement, and has since argued that Nunes would always make a return.
“I still expected it,” said Peña. “I literally said it. I went there to Vancouver, I watched her place her gloves and I told everyone what a liar she was and hooked her all the time because I knew she was not going to be fully withdrawn.
“It's the thing – I hate it all,” I retire. I finished. “If you are going to retire, stay in retirement. I say to myself: 'No, it is not the case. Now that the spotlights are not on her, and it is on Kayla and I see that.
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If Nunes had won Peña's first fight, the story may have worked in a rapid advance, because Harrison was a free agent with PFL at the time and openly envisaged a potential shot on Nunes for its beginnings in UFC.
Peña, however, spoiled these plans. And now, four years later, Peña realizes again that she is the roadblock to make one of the biggest paper battles in the history of recent rooster weights.
“(Nunes) sit there to watch me do her dirty job like a lazy width that she is,” said Peña. “It's absolutely ridiculous. But it doesn't matter. She's going to do everything she needs, and at the end of the day, Amanda is not my goal. Amanda is the most distant thing from my mind right now. I have a rhino that comes to fight me on June 7, and I need – and I'm going – I am going – 1010% prepared for when it happens. So it's something for me.
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“I was said to me: 'Amanda doesn't want to have anything to do with you. She absolutely does not want to do with you. She hates Kayla. She has the impression that she has nothing to prove against you and that she hates Kayla more than she thinks that she wants to fight you.' 'If she returns, it is to fight Kayla only.
Just as there has never been a shortage of jokes between Peña and Nunes, the same thing can be said for Peña and Harrison as they continue to build towards Fight Night in Newark, New Jersey.
Although Harrison showed intermittent respect for Peña, she also admitted that it was difficult because, in her words, Peña “Sometimes quite stupid.”
Hearing Harrison's feeling, Peña was amused.
Julianna Petrianna Kayla Harrison is the head of the UFC 316. (Jeff Bottar / Zaffa LLC)
(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
“I think it's funny because I think she came to the series and said I had no skills, then I saw another interview two weeks ago who said she was preparing for Godzilla,” said Peña. “So you decide-Do I have any skills or are you preparing for Godzilla? What is it? What am I? I'm 'momzilla', do them well. And just so that you know, when you watch the film 'Godzilla against King Kong,' Godzilla wins.
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Harrison was impeccable in his two UFC fights before the Peña match, sending former UFC Holly Holm champion and the faithful divisional Ketlen Vieira.
Weight problems have been recurrent with each Harrison rooster weight fights, and his title fight is no different, Peña labeling the former light champion PFL as a weight intimidator. Although Harrison has not yet reached the exact championship brand of 135 pounds, Peña does not expect problems on the scale.
“She is a professional, and I have no doubt that she will gain the weight,” said Peña. “Does it fear? Is it mentally and physically and emotionally?
“So she is in a long night in the office, and not only that, but simply take into consideration her first fight at 135 pounds by spending 25 minutes. It will be very exhausting and trying, and at this stage, it's like, how are you going to win?
