UFC Stars: Julianna Pena

Julianna Peña is a world-class athlete. As a mixed martial artist, she has won 11 matches out of 16. She often goes by “The Venezuelan Vixen” due to her Venezuelan heritage and deadly strikes in the ring.

As of August 2022, Peña is ranked number 1 in the UFC bantamweight rankings (women’s division), which means the UFC betting odds are currently in her favor.

So who is this amazing fighter, and what is her story?

The Legendary Julianna Peña

Julianna Peña isn’t just the current number-one ranked fighter in the UFC bantamweight division. She is also the first-ever woman to win the Ultimate Fighter. She was up against Gina Mazany and although the fight started off with uncertainty over favorites, Peña quickly showed everyone that she was the champion.

She controlled the fight from start to finish and won the battle by unanimous decision in just 2 rounds. Peña not only dominated the competition, but she slaughtered her opponents. 

Peña is a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, 3rd ranked for pound-for-round listing, and is still considered number one for UFC bantamweight.

It’s shocking to know that the first-ever female UFC Ultimate Fighter winner is still in the ring, but this 33-year-old is in no way near ending her career. Instead, this fact shows us just how women in the industry have to battle their way into airtime. 

How Her History Shaped Her

Julianna Peña is one of four children. She was the youngest child in her family and she grew up in Spokane, Washington. Spokane is the largest city in the county and is the cultural center for the metropolitan area.

Peña went to Mount Spokane High School which has a small student body of just 1,382 pupils. Kids from this school often leave with excellent academic grades, and in 2010 478 students qualified for the honor roll.

This means 478 students received a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

From such a fantastic school, Peña moved to Spokane Community College. It is known as a technical college and has the largest science division in the community. Knowing this, Peña may have had a different path in life, if she hadn’t taken on the mental health challenge of controlling her anger.

Peña struggled with mental health and anger management from a young age, so took up cardio kickboxing. The aim was to lose weight and channel her anger into something healthy. Without this decision, we may never have known about Julianna Peña.

The Journey To Ultimate Fighter Championship

Peña graduated high school in 2007, went to community college the following year, and became a professional MMA fighter in 2009.

The change from high schooler to professional fighter was quick, and it was all due to the amazing 2-0 win record she accomplished as an amateur boxer.

Between 2009 and 2012 Peña fought in 4 more fights winning each of them without question. However, in 2012, Peña experienced her first-ever defeat.

She was caught out by Sarah Moras, a 140-pound catchweight fighter and colleague in the Ultimate Fighter 18 cast.

Some put the defeat down to an injury that Peña experienced just 2 months prior. She was walking home when she was hit by a drunk driver. The crash knocked her unconscious and left her with a broken nose.

The defeat from Sarah Moras was enough to prove to Peña that she needed a break. 

When she turned 10 months later, Peña had lost weight and muscle. She was moved to the flyweight division and lost her first match for the second time.

In 2013, Peña managed to get back on her feet again. She was matched up against veteran fighter and heavy favorite Shayna Baszler. In a grueling match, Peña managed to defeat the legend creating the most unexpected and outstanding win in her career so far.

In the semi-finals of the Ultimate Fighter Championship, Peña was up against Sarah Moras for the second time in her career. She knocked her out in the second round, earning back her reputation.

In the finals, Peña was up against Gina Mazany, and by this time she was dominating the ring. Peña was the clear winner.

All Of Peña’s Accomplishments So Far

So far in her career, Peña has earned the following achievements:

• 2013 – The Ultimate Fighter Winner
• 2021 – Women’s Bantamweight Championship
• 2021 – Upset of the Year (10 different publications)
• 2021 – Female Fighter of the Tear – ESPN

The 10 different publications to choose Peña’s fight against Amanda Nunes as the Upset of the Year were; Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMAjunkie.com, Cageside Press, LowKick MMA, Sherdog, Bleacher Report, MMA Sucka, Daily Mirror, and Lowkick MMA.

 

The fact that 10 publications made these announcements is a feat unheard of before this event.

 

Peña held on to her Bantamweight Championship title for over 6 months before Amanda Nune took it back from her. 

 

Summary

Julianna Peña has been a top container since she first became a professional MMA fighter, but she has recently hit her stride. Winning the Women’s Bantamweight Championship put Peña back on the map. Will she try to reclaim the title?