Raquel Pennington always had a feeling her first title defense would come against Julianna Peña whether she deserved it or not.
Absent for over two years, the former UFC bantamweight champion hasn’t been seen since she lost a one-sided decision to Amanda Nunes back in 2022. While she was expected to face Nunes in a trilogy and then fight for the vacant title after “The Lioness” retired, Peña dealt with injuries that continuously kept her sidelined while the rest of the division moved on without her.
Pennington understands the argument against Peña getting a title shot but in reality, this is the fight she wanted before she ever became champion.
“In my mind, I knew just because Julianna had one of the biggest upsets in UFC women’s bantamweight history beating Amanda, I knew that it was going to come down to Julianna,” Pennington told MMA Fighting. “So it’s like honestly, I’m excited for this fight. I’m excited for my own personal reasons. On paper, does it make sense? No, I’m right there with you, I don’t agree with it.
“When they called [to offer me the fight for the vacant title] and they’re like, ‘Hey, Julianna’s injured, all this stuff, it’s going to be Mayra [Bueno Silva],’ it was just like I felt disappointment. I was disappointed. Just given the way everything happens for a reason it plays out and that’s not taking anything away from Mayra. I told her after the fight and we talked, she’s going to do some great things, she has to continue to push but she’s very green still. She’s young and very green with it all. With this one, I think part of it makes it easier to put the world title behind in the back of my mind with it all. It’s like this is taking me back to The Ultimate Fighter days. Let’s settle this once and for all.”
Over 11 years ago, Pennington and Peña were both members of Team Miesha Tate during The Ultimate Fighter 18. After making it into the house, Pennington and Peña were early favorites to potentially meet in the finals, but that’s not how things played out.
Peña ended up as the TUF 18 champion while Pennington was eliminated by Jessica Rakoczy in the semifinals after suffering a hand injury during a win over Jessamyn Duke in the opening round. While she’s not exactly holding onto a grudge all these years later, Pennington admits that she didn’t get along with Peña and that’s seemingly put them at odds ever since.
“When we got in there, everybody was bullying Julianna,” Pennington explained. “Like I honestly felt bad for her. It was just like things play out, they pick the teams, we’re roommates and now we’re teammates.
“For me, I personally tried to take her under my wing. Nobody wanted anything to do with her, she was lonely and it was like damn, this show is just starting. We’re going to be in here for seven weeks. I tried. Needless to say, I learned really quick our personalities are very different. It’s like you stick to your side and I’m going to stick to my side. There was little things they just added up. Over time living with somebody and seeing the different personality types, she just got under my skin. Just her personality. I’m not going to sit here and bash her and cut her down because there’s so much more to all of us as people but she’s just not somebody that I want around me.”
It turns out Pennington might not be the only one who Peña rubs the wrong way.
When she first got the call to offer her the fight, Pennington claims people inside the UFC told her some of the motivation behind this matchmaking comes down to relishing in Peña’s potential demise.
“She has a freaking Master’s degree in yapology,” Pennington said. “She talks and she keeps herself relevant that way. At the end of the day, I don’t understand how this girl can stay injured and then she comes back and all of a sudden, she’s getting a big fight and then she’s injured and she comes back and she’s getting something else. Who’s managing you? What are you doing here? Whatever you’re doing, great, it’s working for you. Congratulations. You’ve had whatever for yourself but it doesn’t make sense to me.
“At the end of the day, UFC’s going to do what UFC does. I won’t say a name but some people in UFC have said, ‘Everybody loves watching Julianna get her ass beat for five rounds so why not?’”
The bad blood between the fighters makes for emotionally charged promotion leading up to the co-main event, but Pennington is just happy to finally have the chance to vanquish Peña from her life once and for all.
Dating back to The Ultimate Fighter all the way to her title fight win back in January, Pennington has heard plenty from Peña and she anxiously awaits the opportunity to shut her up.
“This is not a thing where we’re going to have this ongoing battle,” Pennington said. “I’m going to go out there, I’m going to beat your ass. I’m very confident the fighter that I am, just everywhere I’m at in life at this point being 36 years old. My mind has just shifted so much. I’ve unlocked a different part of me and that’s what I was excited for my world title fight. I have yet to impress myself and now that camp, I impressed myself. This camp, I just blew myself out of the water. I have my own expectations. I’m excited.
“I just want to go out there and I feel with the emotions that I have towards Julianna, the history that Julianna and I have, it’s just going to bring out the best in me and that’s my stamp. Like I’m done. 11 years ago, Ultimate Fighter, the question of everything, the animosity I had towards you, that annoyance I had towards you, we’re done. It’s said and done. We’ll shake hands and that’s what it is or I’ll shake hands.”
