Julianna Pena makes a compelling demand for a third fight against Amanda Nunes after UFC 289
It seems like Julianna Pena is not done chasing the bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Pena was supposed to face Nunes in a trilogy bout but was sidelined due to an injury. Irene Aldana stepped in as a replacement for 'The Venezuelan Vixen' and will challenge Amanda Nunes for the title on Saturday at UFC 289.
Pena shocked the world when she beat Amanda Nunes in December 2021 at UFC 269 by overwhelming 'The Lionness' on the feet and finding the rear-naked choke finish in the second round. In their rematch, however, Nunes put an absolute beating on Pena, dominating her in the striking and grappling exchanges, and re-winning the bantamweight championship convincingly.
At the UFC 289 fan Q&A scrum, Julianna Pena had the following words to say:
"I think I saw, in a clip she said, 'I'd kick her a** anytime I want.' - Except for the time that you couldn't and that it really counted. So, I really don't know what she's talking about. As far as I'm concerned, we're 1-1 and I actually have a leg up on her because I was not stopped, I was not finished, I was never down and out. Like, Rocky said, it's not about how many times you get hit, it's about how many times you get hit and keep coming forward. And she did not stop me."
Skip to 11:35 for Julianna Pena on why she deserves a trilogy with Amanda Nunes:
The former bantamweight champion continued:
"From 9 to 10PM tomorrow on Saturday, only from 9 to 10PM on Saturday. Not 10:01, from 9 to 10, I will be rooting for Amanda Nunes. I will be her one biggest fan in the world. And after that you're gonna see the biggest turncoat you've ever seen."
'The Ultimate Fighter season 30 was better' - Julianna Pena on what she thinks about TUF 31
Julianna Pena was quick with her answer when asked what she thought about the on-going season of The Ultimate Fighter with Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as coaches.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' joked that the previous season starring her and the current champion Amanda Nunes as coaches was better than TUF 31.
Here's what Julianna Pena said:
"[The] Ultimate Fighter season 30 was better because I coached and won all my fights, I'm just saying. The only fight that we didn't win was against a 43-year-old man that hadn't fought in the octagon for 13 years, so just saying."
![Julianna Pena at UFC 269 [Image courtesy: Getty images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/06/454ea-16864038534084-1920.jpg?w=500)
The No.1-ranked UFC women's bantamweight contender continued:
"[The] Ultimate Fighter 31- it's great. I love Conor McGregor, [I'm his] biggest fan ever. [I] love Michael Chandler, he's great for the sport. I'm really anticipating the date for that [fight]."