Juliana Pena wants to defend her title against Amanda Nunes if she dethrones Raquel Pennington at UFC 307.
Pena (11-5) will challenge Pennington (16-8) for the women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 307 on October 5th at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same card also includes a matchup between Ketlen Vieira (14-3) and Kayla Harrison (17-1) that could decide the title. Peña claims he knows the winner of Vieira vs. Harrison is guaranteed the next title fight against the winner of the matchup with Pennington.
“I don’t think so, but I know that. I know for a fact that I was told that the winner of that fight was going to face me for the belt,” Pena told MMA Junkie. “And that will be my title defense. Yeah, that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Vieira is 1-3 in his last four fights, with only a narrow split decision coming against Pennington in January 2023. Meanwhile, former Professional Fighters League champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison made his Octagon debut with a submission win over Holly. Holm in April.
However, if Pena defeats Pennington, she will likely want to fight her former foe Nunes three times in a row for her first title defense. Pena became champion with a submission victory over Nunes in their first fight at UFC 269 in 2021, in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. He then lost the title in a lopsided unanimous decision in a rematch at UFC 277. A rubber match was scheduled for UFC 289 in 2023, but Peña pulled out after breaking his ribs during sparring and has been sidelined ever since. Nunes defeated the suddenly replaced Irene Aldana by unanimous decision, leaving her gloves in the cage.
UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
Peña has consistently tried to pull Nunes out of retirement. “The Lioness” has also made it clear that she misses fighting, but has not made any specific statements regarding a return. Pena reiterated her interest in a three-fight fight with Nunes over a potential matchup with Harrison.
“I want Amanda to come out of retirement and I’m willing to bet that she’ll be there and watching intently. And I’m willing to bet that she really is as good as she claims to be. I think she misses the sport and doesn’t know what to do with herself now that she’s not fighting. And a little green monster of envy appears inside her and says, I think he would say, “I can go back there.” . You can do this. ‘She thinks she can beat me. So I can tell that she probably feels like she has nothing to prove to me. I know she doesn’t particularly like Kayla any more than she likes me. But my goal is to get Amanda back inside the Octagon with me and it will be the biggest women’s fight in UFC history. ”
