"They had to create a whole another division at 125 because Valentina couldn't beat Amanda two times" - Julianna Pena claims that the "real" fights in the UFC are at 135 pounds
UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena believes the 125lbs division was only created because Valentina Shevchenko couldn't defeat Amanda Nunes.
Shevchenko, the women's flyweight champion, has only lost twice in the UFC since making her debut in 2015. Both losses came against Amanda Nunes, who is still regarded by most as the best women's MMA fighter of all time.
Pena believes the UFC saw a star in the making with 'Bullet' and instead opted to create the women's flyweight division in order to have another dominant female UFC champion.
Speaking to Yahoo! Sports, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' said:
"They had to create a whole another division at 125 [lbs] because Valentina couldn't beat Amanda two times, so they went and cut weight and created a division. The real fights, the best fights are at 135lbs. Now that I've become champion, I've created a whole list of girls who are gunning for a shot at me... I'm in this division to fight the best of the best."
Pena will look to make it two wins from two against Nunes and secure her first title defense when the pair go head-to-head once again at UFC 277 this weekend.
Catch Julianna Pena's full interview here:
Julianna Pena confident second fight with Amanda Nunes will be just like the first
Few fans will forget the moment Julianna Pena stunned the world and submitted Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight title. Pena entered the octagon as the underdog but managed to stand and bang with unrelenting pressure against one of the UFC's most dangerous fighters.
Nunes was clearly surprised by Pena's chin throughout the bout and eventually tired herself out by trying to land a KO shot onto the oncoming American. The heart, the chin and determination from the 32-year-old cemented the fight as one of the UFC's greatest upsets when she made 'The Lioness' tap.
This Saturday, we run back one of the biggest upsets to ever happen inside the Octagon 🤜🤛
[ #UFC277 | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3ISYefa ] https://t.co/Chm3yJfcKf
In the same interview with Yahoo! Sports, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' stated that her ability to eat shots from 'The Lioness' will mean the second fight follows the same narrative as the first:
"I took some very heavy shots and I think the main difference in this rematch is not even a difference, it's a similarity. I am still gonna take some shots. I am still gonna get in there, me and Amanda are literally two of the best fighters in the world. I am expecting to get hit. It's the one who backs up and can't take the shots, that's gonna be the loser... I am the wall that Amanda bashes up against when she realizes that she can't put me out with just one shot. And so, I think that's the main difference."
Also check out this special Sportskeeda video on the most bizarre MMA promotions in the world: