“The Ultimate Fighter” has given a boost to the careers of many fighters over the years and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is a shining example.
The world was introduced to Peña (11-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) on season 18 of the long-running reality series, which was coached by two women who were a part of one of the most heated rivalries in women’s MMA history, former UFC bantamweight champions Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
That season was the first time women fighters competed on the show for a UFC contract, and when it was all said and done, Peña emerged as the champion. Fast-forward eight years later, Peña is now the women’s bantamweight champion – the eighth “TUF” champion to go on to claim UFC gold. Naturally, when the opportunity presented itself to be a part of “TUF,” but this time in a coaching role, the choice was a no-brainer for Peña.
“Let’s go, I’m there,” Peña told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Monday’s “TUF 30” media day about signing up for the job. “This is something that I’ve always wanted to do. This is something that I’ve always put on my bucket list as far as giving back to the next generation of fighters coming up. I just can’t wait to see the success of my team and to help them be the best fighters they can be.”
While Peña gets to check off an item on her list by coaching her team of men’s heavyweights and women’s flyweights, she has to be mindful of what will follow the completion of the show – a rematch with Amanda Nunes. Considering the former champ’s dominance over the division, an immediate rematch was the most likely scenario Peña would face after submitting Nunes in the second round at UFC 269.
“In one sense, while I’m training my team, I’m going to be right alongside them training myself,” Peña said. “Maybe we can work the whole season on what I need to do in order to make sure this rematch is gonna go off without a hitch, I don’t know. It’s just as much about them as it is about me, but let’s not forget, I got a fight at the end of this and I need to make sure that I’m the best fighter that I can be as well.”
The rematch between Nunes and Peña is expected to take place later in the year, however, there is currently no expected timeframe for the fight to take place.
Ultimately, Peña envisions the journey on the show with her team will generate long-lasting relationships as they all fight to accomplish their goals. While her team will be looking for entry into the UFC, Peña will be preparing to defend the gold she claimed in December with the same intensity as before to ensure she silences any remaining doubters.
“There’s still naysayers out there,” Peña said. “There’s still people that say it was a fluke. There’s still people that think whatever the excuses were. She had COVID, she was sick, she was hurt – whatever the issue is, I want to lay it to rest one more time and silence the naysayers. So yeah, we can run it back. Whenever you want to do it, we can do it.”
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