No matter what Julianna Pena does, it’s never enough in the eyes of the fans.
That’s exactly how ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ is feeling four years after scoring perhaps the biggest upset in UFC history, defeating former two-division queen Amanda Nunes to capture her first bantamweight world championship.
Eight months removed from kickstarting her second run as the 135-pound champion, Pena will face one of the toughest tests of her career, co-headlining Saturday’s UFC 316 card against two-time Olympic gold medalist and former two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison.
But even if she defies the odds and hands Harrison her first loss inside the Octagon, Pena isn’t convinced it’ll be enough for fans to put some respect on her name finally.
“I’m very proud to come from a small, tight-knit community in Chicago,” Pena said during the UFC 316 media day. “Being able to be training partners with Balal, Bahamondes—it’s a special thing we’ve got going on. We help each other, we support each other, we love each other, and I think that’s a very important thing to have around.
“I thought that beating the greatest of all time was going to give me that respect, and it didn’t. So you never know. It’s never enough—no matter what you do, it’s just never enough. Everybody’s always going to want more from you.”
Will a win over Kayla Harrison earn Julianna Pena respect in the eyes of UFC fans?
Pena goes into the first defense of her second round, coming off a sketchy split decision victory over Raquel Pennington in October, to retake the title. That, on top of the five-round shellacking Nunes handed her in their July 2022 rematch, is likely why fans are hesitant to give her the credit she so desperately craves.
Could a big win over Kayla Harrison change that?
