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Fans weren’t happy with Julianna Pena’s recent comments about the UFC 297 co-main event.
In June 2023, Amanda Nunes defeated Irene Aldana at UFC 289 before taking off her gloves and retiring from MMA. As a result, ‘The Lioness’ vacated her two world titles, leaving a significant void in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
On Saturday, Jan. 20, the vacant women’s 135-pound is up for grabs as Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington meet in the UFC 297 co-main event. Although both fighters are worthy of the opportunity, former champion Pena was left out due to an injury.
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Since Pennington vs. Bueno Silva was announced, Pena has been talking trash and claiming she’s the queen of the division. Earlier today, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ had this to say during an interview on The MMA Hour, with the quote being transcribed by MMA Fighting:
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“This Saturday night, [Mayra Bueno Silva] will be fighting a block of wood [Raquel Pennington] at UFC [297] in Toronto, Canada. They will be fighting for the grand prize of an opportunity to fight yours truly for the vacant belt. Theirs obviously is the interim.”
Pena’s quote was shared on Instagram, leading to fans filling the comment section with negative messages:
“Pena became so unlikable so fast💀 I've never seen someone bc disliked so fast”
“Colby , Ian and Peña are the unholy Trinity of MMA”
“Bro I swear she’s very unlikeable”
“Pena working hard on being most-disliked champ ever”
“Broad maxed out the cringe meter”
“I can’t stand Pena, but it doesn’t matter. Silva will demolish her."
Watch Pena’s comments about the UFC 297 co-main event below:
Julianna Pena guarantees next fight will be for UFC women’s bantamweight title
In December 2021, Julianna Pena shocked the world by dethroning Amanda Nunes of the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Seven months later, they fought again in the UFC 277 main event, with Nunes getting her revenge with a one-sided unanimous decision win.
Since then, Pena has been unable to return to the Octagon due to multiple injuries. In November 2023, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ released the following statement through Ariel Helwani, who shared the message on X:
"“I’m injured. I will fight the winner. My next fight will be for a title. Guaranteed. I feel bad. Not for myself. But for the fans that are being force fed this horrible fight. What a disaster.”
Pena has become one of the most controversial female fighters on the UFC roster due to her unmatched confidence. Once she does return, it’ll be intriguing to see if she can silence the doubters and regain UFC gold by defeating Raquel Pennington or Mayra Bueno Silva.
