Sixth-ranked women’s bantamweight Julianna Pena may be the forgotten contender in the women’s 135-pound division.
Pena won The Ultimate Fighter 18 in 2013, but the momentum she gained by winning the reality show came to a sudden halt when she suffered a devastating knee injury while preparing to face Jessica Andrade in March 2014. The injury sidelined Pena for 17 months.
She returned to action at UFC Fight Night 63 in April and finished Milana Dudieva in the first round by technical knockout. The 26-year-old defeated Jessica Eye in her next outing at UFC 192 in October. Despite back-to-back wins, Pena’s knee still isn’t fully recovered.
“Right now, it’s not 100 percent, but I can’t sit on the sidelines without pulling all my hair out. I have to fight. I’m kind of fighting and trying to get back to 100 percent, and I’m getting there every day,” said Pena during a recent Q&A in Seoul.
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“I love fighting so much that I can’t sit out that long whether I have one leg or two legs. I’m fighting on one leg, and when it gets 100 percent, I’m going to be unstoppable.”
Pena had been eyeing a possible match-up against Ronda Rousey. Now that Holly Holm sits atop the women’s bantamweight division, that’s a match-up she’d like.
“I like to stick to my opponents like glue. I don’t allow my opponents to get on their bicycle and run around the ring, and I don’t allow myself to get into point sparring matches,” said Pena when asked about how she’d approach a fight with Holm. “If I were to fight Holly, I’d be on her like white on rice.”
