Julianna Pena has clapped back at Daniel Cormier for saying she doesn’t deserve a trilogy with Amanda Nunes.
Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who dethroned bantamweight champion Nunes with a stunning upset submission at UFC 269, lost their rematch at UFC 277 by decision. Although a bloodied-up Peña showed a lot of heart, she was battered for 25 minutes.
On his “DC & RC” ESPN show, Cormier said Peña’s lopsided loss to Nunes (22-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) didn’t warrant an immediate rematch. But Peña begs to differ, taking a shot at the former UFC dual champion.
“You’re saying that my work doesn’t warrant it? I’m the first ever woman to win ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ I’ve torn four out of five ligaments in my knee and came back from that, actually both knees, I gave birth and had a baby and came back from that,” Peña said while working the desk as an analyst for ESPN.
“I have been clawing and scratching my way to the top and been in this division since 2013 when they first allowed women to join the UFC, and I did everything that I said I was going to do leading up to that fight. DC, you’ve had 10 title fights, bro. Like, why are you hating on me for wanting to get a trilogy fight? Ten! I think that’s the most title fights in UFC history. I mean, come on, dude. Like, don’t block me out, dude.”
When Peña immediately rematched Nunes, she hoped to show that she wasn’t lucky in their first fight. But with the series now tied at one-a-piece, Peña thinks a trilogy should be next.
“Your pinnacle of getting to the top is winning the belt and fighting and clawing your way to get there,” Peña said. “So I did that. I got to check that off, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to give this immediate rematch to prove it wasn’t a fluke, and I ran out of time. I don’t have a fight scheduled, I know Amanda doesn’t have a fight scheduled, and I think a trilogy fight is what the fans want to see.”
