Despite holding the title of a two-time UFC champion, Julianna Peña`s recent career has been marked by inconsistency, evidenced by her 3 wins and 2 losses over her last five fights dating back to 2020.
As she prepares for UFC 316 this Saturday, where she`ll defend her title for the first time against two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison, Peña finds herself entering the co-main event as a significant underdog. Her opportunity arose after a contentious split decision victory against Raquel Pennington, following a heavily one-sided defeat to Amanda Nunes in their 2022 rematch.
While her submission win over Nunes in their initial bout remains a highlight, Peña`s record against active UFC roster fighters since then includes only the victory over Pennington. This record, combined with observations of her in-cage performances, has led retired veteran fighter Matt Brown to express bewilderment regarding Peña`s current standing in the sport.
Speaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, Brown candidly admitted, “I almost feel bad for Julianna going into this fight. I don’t know how she’s gotten as far as she has.” He controversially added, “hopefully she just doesn’t hear this—but she’s exactly one of the reasons I don’t enjoy most women’s MMA.” In stark contrast, he lauded her opponent: “Kayla is exactly one of the reasons I do enjoy some women’s MMA.”
Brown didn`t hold back his praise for Harrison, calling her a “f*cking legit savage fighter” who is “good and it’s [enjoyable] to watch.” Regarding Peña, he stated bluntly, “just being honest, I don’t know how she’s in the position she’s in. She doesn’t really do much of anything good.” He further questioned, “All due respect, I’m not trying to take a bunch of hate for it or anything but it just is what it is. I just don’t how you can fight that poorly and be in the top organization in the world.”
Brown suggested that Peña`s prominence is largely sustained by her monumental upset win over Nunes, one of the biggest shockers in UFC history.
While acknowledging that nobody can diminish that victory, Brown mused that beating Nunes might have inadvertently set Peña up for a difficult challenge against Harrison. “The unfortunate part for her is she beats Amanda Nunes so of course now she gets a fight like Kayla Harrison but that’s unfortunate for her,” Brown remarked. He predicted a tough night, suggesting Peña might even reflect during the fight, “‘God, I wish I never beat Amanda Nunes, they would have never put me in this shit.’ She might start thinking that in the middle of the first round.”
Brown views the dominant rematch between Peña and Nunes as a clearer indication of the disparity between the two fighters` skills. While dismissing the excuse that Nunes didn`t adequately train or respect Peña in the first fight, stating, “We’re supposed to be professionals,” he conceded that sometimes victory comes down to who simply performs better on a particular night, comparing it to the first GSP-Serra fight. He clarified it wasn`t necessarily a “lucky punch” but a matter of who “just happened to show up on that night.”
Looking ahead to the women`s bantamweight division, particularly following the retirements of stars like Nunes and Ronda Rousey, Brown sees Kayla Harrison as the vital figure needed to revitalize the weight class.
Brown expressed absolute certainty that Harrison will emerge victorious this Saturday and believes she will ultimately stabilize the division.
“Kayla is going to come in and demolish everybody and show them all what a real fighter is,” Brown asserted. He believes this is precisely what the division, and women`s MMA in general, requires: “Just a real fighter coming in and showing them real skills.” He noted that while he initially thought Holly Holm posed a threat, Harrison`s performance against Holm, despite concerns about the weight cut, demonstrated her capability. “Once I saw that, I knew Kayla was great,” he said, concluding emphatically, “She’s the one that they needed and she’s here to f*ck people up.”
