Julianna Peña, a two-time UFC champion, has experienced a mixed record in her recent fights, going 3-2 over the past few years since 2020, showing a period with notable ups and downs.
At UFC 316, Peña is scheduled to face two-time Olympic champion Kayla Harrison in the co-main event. Peña enters this matchup as a clear underdog. Her opportunity came after a close split-decision victory against Raquel Pennington, which followed a dominant loss to Amanda Nunes in their 2022 rematch.
Although Peña has a past submission victory against Nunes from their first fight, her recent record shows only one win (over Pennington last year) against an opponent still actively competing at the highest level in the UFC. This recent history, combined with her fight performances, has led retired veteran Matt Brown to express confusion about how Peña has reached her current position.
Brown commented on a podcast, stating he “almost feel[s] bad for Julianna going into this fight.” He added, “I don’t know how she’s gotten as far as she has. I don’t like talking trash about fighters… but she’s exactly one of the reasons I don’t enjoy most women’s MMA. Kayla is exactly one of the reasons I do enjoy some women’s MMA.”
He described Kayla as a “f*cking legit savage fighter” who is “good and it’s enjoyable to watch.” Regarding Peña, Brown stated honestly, “I don’t know how she’s in the position she’s in. She doesn’t really do much of anything good. All due respect… I just don’t how you can fight that poorly and be in the top organization in the world.”
Brown believes Peña`s prominence is largely due to her past upset victory over Nunes, one of the biggest in UFC history.
While acknowledging that win cannot be taken away, Brown questioned whether defeating Nunes ultimately put Peña in a worse situation by leading to this difficult fight against Harrison.
Brown explained, “The unfortunate part for her is she beats Amanda Nunes so of course now she gets a fight like Kayla Harrison but that’s unfortunate for her.” He conceded it might bring “a little bit of press” and “a little bit better payday,” but emphasized, “now she’s got to go fight Kayla Harrison.”
He predicted it won`t be an “enjoyable night” for Peña, suggesting she “might look back and be like ‘God, I wish I never beat Amanda Nunes…’ She might start thinking that in the middle of the first round… why am I in this situation?”
Brown didn`t dismiss Peña`s initial win over Nunes but felt their rematch provided a clearer picture of the skill difference between them.
He commented that in the second fight, Amanda “put a good stamp on it and showed ‘I didn’t train for the first one, I didn’t respect this chick,’” though Brown stated, “I never like that as an excuse. We’re supposed to be professionals.”
Brown compared it to situations where “it’s just obvious, too. Like [Georges St-Pierre]-[Matt] Serra, sometimes it’s clear who was better,” dismissing notions of a “lucky punch” or just showing up on the night.
Turning to Harrison`s potential, Brown views her as the ideal figure to revitalize the women`s bantamweight division, which has lacked excitement since the retirements of Nunes and Ronda Rousey.
Brown expressed absolute confidence that Harrison will become UFC champion on Saturday night and successfully guide the division back into relevance.
He asserted, “Kayla is going to come in and demolish everybody and show them all what a real fighter is.” He added that this is exactly what “girls’ MMA needs. Just a real fighter coming in and showing them real skills.”
Brown admitted he initially thought Holly Holm had a strong chance against Harrison, calling Holm “a very good fighter.” However, he noted Harrison`s dominant performance against Holm proved she is “that girl” the division needed, successfully navigating concerns about the weight cut.
