Julianna Peña is the UFC bantamweight champion. The one who will stroll out second in Saturday’s co-main occasion. The one who has held UFC gold not as soon as, however twice.
And but, she will’t assist however really feel barely disrespected heading into UFC 316.
Peña is simply days away from defending her UFC title in opposition to Kayla Harrison at Prudential Middle in Newark, N.J., and she or he’s effectively conscious that the chances are stacked in opposition to her. This isn’t the primary time as “The Venezuelan Vixen” famously pulled off one of many greatest upsets in UFC historical past when she submitted the indomitable Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 to win her first title.
For no matter cause, Peña has not often obtained the identical acclaim as her fellow champions, and even when she defeats the favored Harrison, she doesn’t count on that to vary.
“I believed beating the best of all time was going to present me that respect and it didn’t, so that you by no means know,” Peña mentioned. “I say this typically, but it surely’s so true, it’s by no means sufficient. It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s by no means sufficient. All people’s at all times going to need extra from you.”
Peña’s momentous win over Nunes was instantly considered in a much less favorable mild following their rematch at UFC 277, the place Nunes received a lopsided unanimous choice to regain the bantamweight title. “The Lioness” has since retired, leaving the door open for Peña to assert a vacant title, which she efficiently did at UFC 307 this previous October with a slender cut up choice win over Raquel Pennington.
Harrison’s credentials embrace being America’s first-ever gold medalist in judo—additionally the nation’s first-ever two-time gold medalist within the sport—and a two-time PFL champion. She is 15-1 in MMA, along with her lone loss being to Larissa Pacheco, an opponent she twice defeated earlier than their most up-to-date assembly. With wins over Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira rounding out her résumé, Harrison is an enormous favourite forward of Saturday’s co-main occasion.
That doesn’t trouble Peña within the slightest.
“It was instructed to me that I’m a 6-to-1 underdog and being a 6-to-1 underdog as a champion may be very disrespectful, No. 1,” Peña mentioned. “No. 2, all people’s counting me out. Out of six individuals, solely certainly one of them thinks that I’m going to win the struggle and that’s placing me able the place because you suppose I’m going to lose in 5 seconds and also you suppose that I’m already out of this struggle, then I’ve nothing to lose and every thing to achieve.
“I’m obsessive about the method, not a lot involved concerning the consequence. I’m having fun with the method, I’m obsessive about having fun with the method, and whenever you put a lot focus-She is able the place ‘she has to’ and ‘she ought to’ and ‘you higher’ and ‘it’s already executed.’ These are the sorts limits that she’s placing on herself of ‘you must’ and ‘you possibly can’ and ‘you’ll’ and ‘you’re going to’ and ‘it’s already completed and it’s already occurred.’ The truth is is that whenever you put that a lot stress on your self and also you’re so targeted on ‘it’s a must to beat her in 10 seconds and it doesn’t occur,’ that may type of play into your mentality and the best way that you simply struggle, whereas all people’s at all times counting me out. So whenever you put me able of nothing to lose and every thing to achieve, that makes me a really harmful lady.”
Peña defeated Nunes by outlasting her earlier than discovering a rear-naked choke in Spherical 2 and whereas she’s not predicting Harrison to fall in related style, she sees herself having far more paths to victory than the previous PFL star.
“Nicely, if she says it’s going to be brawl, then I assume I’ll give her what she needs,” Peña mentioned. “No, I see the struggle taking part in out with me getting my hand raised. I don’t understand how, I don’t know when, I simply know that I’m very harmful in all places. I’ve a number of avenues to win this struggle.
“I can win off of my again, I can win off of the cage, and I can win off of my ft, and having a number of avenues and a number of paths to victory is what makes me extra harmful, whereas she has just one shot to beat me, which is laying on prime of me for 25 minutes.”
