Julianna Pena, a two-time UFC champion, has experienced significant ups and downs throughout her career, holding a 3-2 record in her last five bouts dating back to 2020.
This Saturday at UFC 316, Pena is set to make her first title defense against two-time Olympic champion Kayla Harrison in the co-main event, where she enters as a clear underdog. Her path to this fight included a very close split decision victory over Raquel Pennington, which followed a heavily one-sided loss to Amanda Nunes in their 2022 rematch.
While Pena secured a notable submission win against Nunes in their initial meeting, her win over Pennington last year is reportedly her only victory against an active fighter currently on the UFC roster. This record, combined with her past performances in the octagon, has led retired veteran Matt Brown to express confusion about how Pena has reached her current position in the sport.
“I almost feel bad for Julianna going into this fight,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I don’t know how she’s gotten as far as she has. I don’t like talking trash about fighters, I don’t want to put her down—hopefully she just doesn’t hear this—but she’s exactly one of the reasons I don’t enjoy most women’s MMA. Kayla is exactly one of the reasons I do enjoy some women’s MMA.
“Kayla is a f*cking legit savage fighter and she’s good and it’s [enjoyable] to watch. Julianna, 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. 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 believes Pena`s prominence is largely built upon her past win against Nunes, an event considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Though her victory over Nunes is undeniable, Brown speculated whether that win ultimately created a more difficult situation for Pena, now requiring her to face Harrison this weekend.
“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 said. “It’s going to get her a little bit of press, we’re talking about it, she might get a little bit better payday for this, I don’t really know what her contract is or anything but now she’s got to go fight Kayla Harrison.
“That’s not going to be an enjoyable night for her. She might look back and be like ‘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. Like god, how did my life turn out like this and why am I in this situation?”
While acknowledging Pena`s win over Nunes, Brown feels their rematch offered a more accurate depiction of the skill disparity between the two fighters.
“I think in the second fight, Amanda put a good stamp on it and showed ‘I didn’t train for the first one, I didn’t respect this chick,’” Brown commented, adding, “I never like that as an excuse. We’re supposed to be professionals.
“Sometimes it’s just obvious, too. Like [Georges St-Pierre]-[Matt] Serra, sometimes it’s clear who was better. I don’t like using the term lucky punch either but whoever just happened to show up on that night.”
Turning to Harrison`s potential impact, Brown sees her as the ideal figure to reinvigorate the women’s bantamweight division, which has lacked significant buzz since the retirements of major stars like Nunes and Ronda Rousey.
Brown expressed strong confidence that Harrison will become the UFC champion on Saturday night and successfully put the division back on track.
“Kayla is going to come in and demolish everybody and show them all what a real fighter is,” Brown asserted. “That’s exactly what the division needs. It’s what girls’ MMA needs. Just a real fighter coming in and showing them real skills.
“I thought Holly Holm had a good shot at beating her because I think Holly Holm is also a very good fighter. Didn’t have a chance. Like nothing. Once I saw that, I knew Kayla was great, but she never fought someone like Holly either. I was like we’ll see and with the weight cut … the weight cut had a lot of concerns but she showed she’s that girl. She’s the one that they needed and she’s here to f*ck people up.”
