Written by Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Julianna Peña is a two-time UFC champion, but she’s definitely endured more than a few ups and downs during her career while going 3-2 in her past five fights dating all the way back to 2020.
On Saturday at UFC 316, Peña seeks her first title defense against two-time Olympic champion Kayla Harrison. She enters the co-main event as a decided underdog. Peña got here following a razor-close split decision win over Raquel Pennington and that fight came after she lost a completely lopsided fight to Amanda Nunes in their rematch back in 2022.
Peña also holds a submission win over Nunes from their first encounter, but outside of her win over Pennington last year, the 35-year-old bantamweight champion doesn’t actually hold a victory over anyone else on the active UFC roster. It’s that résumé, combined with what’s on tape from her fights in the UFC, that have retired veteran Matt Brown confused about how Peña has even found herself in this position.
“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 Peña has largely thrived based off of her past win over Nunes when she pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
No one can take that win away from her, but Brown can’t help but wonder if beating Nunes ultimately did Peña more harm than good now that she has to take on 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 Brown doesn’t discount Peña’s win over Nunes, he also believes the rematch was a much better indicator of the gap between those 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 said. “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.”
When it comes to Harrison’s potential, Brown views her as the best possible solution to the lack of enthusiasm surrounding the women’s bantamweight division since both Nunes and Ronda Rousey retired from the sport.
Brown has absolute faith that Harrison becomes UFC champion on Saturday night and finally puts that division back on track.
“Kayla is going to come in and demolish everybody and show them all what a real fighter is,” Brown said. “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.”