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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is no stranger to being overlooked, but she refuses to let the doubters define her. After reclaiming the title with a split-decision victory over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 last October, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ is now rumored to face former PFL standout Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 in June. While the bout is not yet official, oddsmakers have already placed Pena as a significant underdog against the two-time Olympic Judoka.
Recently released early betting lines for the potential title fight, listing Harrison as a dominant favorite while Pena opened as an underdog. However, this is a position that the reigning champion has grown accustomed to throughout her career. Speaking on The Overdogs Podcast, Pena addressed the odds and dismissed the narrative that she lacks the skills to win.
“I think that one of the reasons why I’m a 7-1 underdog, or why I always get overlooked, or why people are always counting me out, is maybe I’m not the most technically sound,” Pena admitted. “[Maybe I don’t] make everything perfect, where I’m so technical. But, I’ve always had this one thing that has set me apart from everybody else, and that is my mindset. I’ve never put a ceiling on myself as far as what I’m capable of doing. I’ve always believed that I can.”
Pena further emphasized her relentless approach in the cage, saying,
“When you have that mental toughness of, ‘I don’t care what you do, I’m still going to get up and still keep coming at you a million miles an hour,’ you’re going to have to literally cut my head off to get me to stop. I’m not going to stop.”
As Harrison rides a three-fight winning streak and prepares for her UFC debut, a showdown between these two elite competitors could be one of the most anticipated women’s MMA fights of the year. But if history has shown anything, it’s that counting out Julianna Pena might be a costly mistake.