Julianna Pena is not happy about Ronda Rousey getting a title shot in her return fight. She is not happy one bit.
After Rousey pleaded her case for months for a crack at Amanda Nunes' UFC bantamweight title, UFC President Dana White told Fox Sports 1's Colin Cowherd that Rousey, in fact, would receive the next title shot. The result? An absolute meltdown by Pena. Speaking with MMAFighting.com's Danny Segura (warning, NSFW language), the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 18 sounded off on Rousey.
"It's bulls--t," Pena said. "That spoiled brat has gotten everything handed to her, and she's getting everything handed to her again. It's bulls--t."
She continued on:
Never in the history have I ever heard of somebody have a no-controversy brutal knockout, then quit the sport, and then comeback and get a title shot right away. The girl is mentally weak and Amanda Nunes is going to f--king knock her out and expose her ass. She's literally the worst fighter on the roster, and I can't stomach the fact that I'm not getting the title shot.
While there's an undeniable level of excitement about Rousey's return, Pena's gripes are legitimate. Pena owns a 4-0 record in the Octagon, with her most recent win being a unanimous decision victory over former title contender Cat Zingano. Before joining the UFC, she worked her way into the company through The Ultimate Fighter, where she scored wins over the likes of women's MMA pioneer Shayna Baszler and current UFC fighter Sarah Moras.
It's an impressive resume to be sure and, in most cases, would be good enough to earn a crack at the belt. The UFC, however, believes Rousey's dominance from 2012 to 2015 warrants an immediate title shot, even after a year out of competition and even though her last fight was the devastating knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.
That has Pena very, very mad. Mad enough, in fact, that she is looking to leave the company.
"Maybe I'll go fight for Combate [Americas] or something because it sounds like they want to pay me serious money and actually give me a belt right off the bat just like they did with Ronda in the UFC," she said, referencing the Latin American promotion launched by UFC co-founder Campbell McLaren. "They just handed Ronda a belt and Combate will hand me a belt, so I don't know, we'll see how that goes."
Rousey will make her return opposite Nunes at UFC 207, set for December 30 in Las Vegas. Pena's next fight is a mystery at this time.
