Julianna Pena reacts to Tracy Cortez losing fake eyelash during UFC Denver fight, explains why extensions are "just a no-no"
UFC fighter Julianna Pena is urging female fighters to ditch the fake eyelashes after a recent bout at UFC Denver went viral for an unusual reason.
During the main event, a punch from Rose Namajunas sent a fake eyelash flying off Tracy Cortez's face. While Namajunas secured the win, the internet fixated on the bizarre occurrence.
Pena, a former champion herself, weighed in on the incident, highlighting her own experience with fake lashes and why they pose a safety hazard:
"I got my eyelashes done in training. Fake eyelash extensions, so they had to stick on each individual lash. When one of them broke off, it stabbed me in the eyeball and it was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever had in my life. "
Further into the interview, Pnña questioned Cortez's decision to wear extensions, particularly considering her post-fight praise for the technician who applied them.
'The Venezuelan Vixen' said:
"I saw the whole thing go flying. How does that even happen? What I think is that something must have happened. They must have taken the eyelash extensions out on just that eye and covered it up really quick with the actual strip lash, because I saw the whole lash go flying, and if it wasn’t a strip lash, then her lash tech is actually not that good because I saw the whole thing go. It’s not like a couple that flake off and stab you in the eye, it was the whole thing.'
She continued:
“Ladies, if you’re listening, please do me a favor, don’t fight with the eyelash extensions on. It’s just a no-no.”
Check out Julianna Pena's interview below (36:16):
Julianna Pena's rollercoaster ride in the UFC so far
Julianna Pena rose to fame as the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter in 2013. After a serious knee injury sidelined her for most of 2014, she returned in 2015 and racked up several wins, including a Performance of the Night bonus.
A pregnancy hiatus followed a loss to Valentina Shevchenko in 2017. Returning in 2019, Pena continued her winning ways, eventually earning a shot at the UFC Women's bantamweight championship against Amanda Nunes in 2021.
In a surprising turn of events, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' defeated the highly favored Nunes by submission in the second round, thus becoming a UFC champion. However, she lost the title in a rematch with Nunes later in 2022 and was unable to compete in a scheduled trilogy bout in 2023 due to injury.
According to a report by Ariel Helwani, Pena is reportedly expected to challenge for the title again, facing Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 in October 2024.