Julianna Pena thrilled when Holly Holm 'broke the Internet' against Ronda Rousey

SEOUL – With the No. 10 spot in the NOS Energy Drink MMA women’s bantamweight rankings and a win over Jessica Eye in her most recent outing, Julianna Pena was entering the conversation as a future challenger for Ronda Rousey’s crown.

Then, Holly Holm (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) came along and upended the whole division, knocking out Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) with a head kick in their UFC 193 main event earlier this month. Pena (7-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was happy for Holm but said she isn’t ready to take a step back as a contender, especially when she factors in her run to win “The Ultimate Fighter 18,” which included a trio of “exhibition” bouts.

“I’ve been in the UFC octagon six times, and I’ve beat everybody that they’ve put in front of me,” Pena told MMAjunkie while attending this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night 79 event in South Korea. “I consider those real fistfights, and I feel like I’ve been on a tear since the UFC put me inside the Zuffa octagon. I count those as real fights. Maybe other people don’t, but I do.”

During the show, Pena was on the team of fighters coached by Miesha Tate and bumped off two Rousey-coached fighters during her three fights to win the show, picking up finishes in each outing.

That may make for a good storyline if a fight with Rousey comes along, and having the belt on the line may have made it better. But Pena said that she was thrilled to see Holm execute so well in capturing the title.

“I thought it was crazy,” Pena said. “I’ve never been more excited for another 135-pound female in my life. I was very happy for Holly. I thought she executed her gameplan to a T. I think she shocked the world and broke the Internet, and I couldn’t have been happier for her. ”

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