Getty Dana White
Reigning women’s UFC bantamweight Julianna Peña believes the promotion’s president, Dana White, is “bummed” that she took the belt from Amanda Nunes.
Peña dethroned the longtime 135-pound queen in December at UFC 269. During the second frame, Peña hurt “The Lioness” on the feet which led to her cinching in a rear-naked choke.
Nunes, who still holds the women’s featherweight belt, will receive an opportunity to reclaim her title when they rematch at UFC 277 on July 30. Peña and Nunes are also the current coaches on the UFC’s reality television series, “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“The Venezuelan Vixen” told Barstool Sports in a recent interview that White views Nunes, the consensus great female fighter of all time, as his “golden goose.” And for the UFC, it’s better business if The Lioness is at the top rather than The Venezuelan Vixen.
“I think he has, yeah. But, I also think that you know, he’s a little bit bummed that his little golden goose got tapped out,” Peña said via BJPenn.com. “Of course, it’s so much better for them financially to have this girl who’s never been beaten in seven years, never been tapped out, never lost, and has belts in two weight classes, she’s fought the who’s who of the division and she’s slayed all those giants.
“Of course, they’re not thinking I have a chance and they want her to win because it looks better for the promotion, it looks better for the UFC,” Peña continued. “They weren’t expecting me to win. I literally looked at them after the fight and all of their jaws are to the floor. I was like, sorry to ruin your day guys, sorry but what am I going to do? It’s not anything that’s rigged by any means it’s up to the individual.”
Peña Believes She Has ‘Mental Edge’ Over Nunes
While speaking with Morning Kombat’s Brian Campbell in April, Peña shared that she’s “always had the mental edge” over Nunes, going as far as to say that The Lioness avoided fighting her for years.
“I think I’ve always had the mental edge when it comes to Amanda,” Peña said via MMA Junkie. “I’ve been calling out this fight for the last five years and she hasn’t wanted to fight me. She’s always made every excuse, like me not making myself worthy for her.
“Or, ‘Oh, I’m going to find Ronda (Rousey) instead.’ Or just finding a way to get out of every fight that we have. Obviously, what I feel and what I say and how I approach things bothers her because she’s made that very clear.”
Peña Coined Herself ‘The GOAT Slayer’
During the same interview with Campbell, The Venezuelan Vixen shared a new moniker she’s taken to: “The GOAT Slayer.”
“Do you think that when you beat the GOAT, that you become the GOAT slayer?” Peña said. “Well, then I think I might be the GOAT slayer.”
Peña has a professional mixed martial arts record of 11-4, with three wins via KO/TKO and five by submission. Besides Nunes, she holds notable victories over the likes of Sara McMann, Nicco Montano and Cat Zingano.