Julianna Pena's second Bantamweight title Reign ended in a seamry way in UFC 316.
Again Pena was unable to add a successful title defense to her CV in MMA's leading promotion on June 7, when she first returned since the throne of the throne in 2024 came back for the first time.
After Amanda Nunes had taken revenge to end her first stint with the title in 2022, Pena was submitted this time by Kayla Harrison, and ended her reign again at the very first obstacle.
And the defeat against Harrison apparently puts more for Pena, given how she feels that the fight was going.
Julianna Pena insists that the UFC 316 title defense went well until her mistake on the ground
At UFC 277, Pena was dominant by Nunes in their rematch, lost all five rounds and fell several times.
This makes it safe to say that things are not planned for 'the Venezuelan Vixen' from at least one. However, Pena does not think the same against Harrison.
During a recent performance at the Ariel Helwani show, the former double champion thought about her last setback and claimed that the fight went 'perfect “until she made one mistake on the floor so that Harrison could secure the Kimura-Hold.
“I tried to take this step, this Jiu-Jitsu-Sweep that I thought would work,” said Pena. “It eventually brought me deeper into the hole. It made my arm easier to insulate. By trying to do that movement, it cost me everything.
“For five seconds to the bell, and the fight (was) in my perception went as I thought it would go, as I had trained. In this Vechtkamp it was as if:” Tap her gas tank! Tap her gas tank! “
“For Vechtkamp, ​​I am brought down around one, around two, no problem. In round three everyone is gassed, everyone cannot keep the pace, everyone is choked,” Pena added.
“Going in that fight and being two with minimal damage, I thought:” This goes exactly as I thought it went. This is perfect. “… so just to go completely off the rails with five seconds to go, I mean, it's just absolutely humiliating.”
Julianna Pena claims that she had a 'serious handicap' on UFC 316
Making things worse for Pena When Harrison hit her arm, was an apparently serious injury with which she had entered UFC 316.
During the same interview, Pena claimed that she fought Harrison with a disability, after she had had a few physical problems in the days prior to their title setup.
“I was plagued by various injuries that were on my way in that fight. In that sense it was not a good camp for me, because I knew that I was going to fight with a pretty serious handicap,” Pena said.
'It came up with me [to withdraw] But it wasn't bad enough to the point where I shouldn't fight because I knew I could push on. … I don't regret competing, I wish I could have compete under better conditions.
“Second week of May I broke my thumb on my training partner, and it was swollen, looked like someone hit me in my hand with a hammer. It was really hard to grab, and it is still really difficult,” Pena added. “Then I took a really bad fall in the Octagon and I tore my elbow, broke a ton of bone chips, so that I was unable to straighten my arm or completely bend my arm.”
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Pena will now look ahead to her chance to bounce along the line again.
Although some have presented a potential flying weight switch, 'the Venezuelan Vixen' caused a commotion instead of announcing her intention to the winner of Harrison vs. Nunes.