Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington will clash heads this October at UFC 307. Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman expressed his candid thoughts on the matchup ahead of the highly anticipated showdown. He highlighted a very important point that could compromise the outcome of the matchup. Here is what happened:
Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo sat down for a conversation on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. While going through the line-up for the upcoming UFC 307 showdown, they came across the co-main event headlined by Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena. Both fighters made their pick, and Kamaru Usman went with champ Raquel Pennington for a few interesting reasons.
You can never count [Pena] out. But, unfortunately she’s been out for over two years!… I’m gonna have to go with Raquel Pennington here, even though Julianna Pena is a complete dog…
Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound
Pennington has been on an impressive run, riding a six-fight win streak. She claimed the bantamweight title by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297. This fight at UFC 307 will be her first title defense. This adds further pressure to perform against a tough and determined opponent like Pena.
UFC 307 will take place in Salt Lake City. Undoubtedly, fans will watch closely to see if Pena can overcome Pennington or lose out on her comeback fight in over two years. This makes her return to the octagon against Pennington even more high-stakes as she looks to reclaim her championship form.
Henry Cejudo picks Julianna Pena over champion Raquel Pennington
If Julianna Pena is not fully focused, Raquel Pennington could have a significant edge. She has fought more actively in the last two years. Since 2021, she has had three fights, whereas Pena only fought once. Moreover, Pena was injured last year before she made her comeback.
During their conversation on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Cejudo picked Pena, highlighting that she had beat former champion Amanda Nunes. One of Pena’s career highlights is her stunning upset victory over Amanda Nunes in 2021 to claim the UFC women’s bantamweight title. However, she lost the title in a rematch against Nunes in 2022 and has not fought since.
Julianna Pena’s a freaking dog, dude. Their styles are somewhat identical…She beat the GOAT.
Henry Cejudo via Pound 4 Pound
Pena and Pennington share a history dating back over a decade. Both were part of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 18 in 2013. They were teammates on Team Tate, coached by Miesha Tate. However, the tension between them was apparent even then. While Pena went on to win the season, Pennington was forced to exit the competition early due to injury. It adds more depth to the rivalry.
