Images: @ufc/Twitter & Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports

Julianna Peña: New UFC Champion Raquel Pennington Isn't A 'Killer' Like Me

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 1/23/24

Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Peña believes her fighting mentality is far superior to that of newly crowned titleholder Raquel Pennington.

With Peña dealing with an injury, Pennington instead battled Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant 135-pound gold at this past weekend's UFC 297 pay-per-view event in Toronto, Canada.

It was ultimately "Rocky" who emerged from the Scotiabank Arena as the successor to Amanda Nunes, earning a unanimous decision victory after a relatively comfortable five-round contest with "Sheetara."

As expected, a grudge match with Peña — the new champ's fellow former TUF contestant — appears to be the first hurdle in her reign.

And as was the case even before Pennington secured the throne on January 20, "The Venezuelan Vixen" is wasting no time dealing her usual dose of trash talk.

Peña Speaks On What Pennington Lacks As A Fighter

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Peña reacted to what many branded a lackluster co-headliner between Pennington and Bueno Silva at UFC 297.

The former champ and "Rocky" have history, having had their fair share of back and forth on The Ultimate Fighter 18 back in 2013. "The Venezuelan Vixen" recalled Pennington's attitude toward training and questioned her commitment.

Because of that, as well as frequent calls for the new titleholder to let her hands go rather than employing clinch-heavy approaches, Peña simply doesn't think Pennington has the same "killer instinct" that she does.

"She just doesn’t get that fire lit underneath her butt," Peña said. "She doesn’t have that eye of the tiger, that shark that smells blood in the water. She’s not a killer. She’s doesn’t have that killer instinct. I know somebody that does, and her name is Julianna 'The Venezuelan Vixen,' the Peña power."

That theory will likely be put to the test soon enough, with Peña expecting to get her chance to return to the bantamweight throne in either May or June this year.

When she does, "The Venezuelan Vixen" is vowing to bring back the kind of excitement to the division that she created by shocking the world against Nunes back at UFC 269 in December 2021.

Don’t worry, Mamas coming home soon #baddestf*uckingmother #bfmchamp #peñapower #ufc pic.twitter.com/Iycjmuk9JW
— Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) January 16, 2024