It’s been a tough 2025 for former two-time UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña.
After she reclaimed her throne atop the women’s 135-pound division in late 2024, Peña jumped into the first title defense of her second reign against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 in June, ultimately falling short via second-round submission in a one-sided fight. Peña revealed afterward that she dealt with a myriad of injuries prior to the bout, including a broken thumb and a torn ligament in her elbow, both of which occurred weeks out from fight night.
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Peña, 36, underwent surgery on her elbow in July and has since struggled to reclaim her mental footing, continuing to deal with more injuries.
“I’ve been going through it, dude,” Peña admitted Wednesday on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Having back surgery and having all these other surgeries that I’ve been having lately is not fun. The only thing that I’m clinging to is that if somebody’s going to do it, it’s going to be me. It has to be me.
“Because I have gotten run over by a car walking on the sidewalk and had my nose smashed in — I was able to come back from that. I was able to fight a dude in the alley and get my eye swollen shut for three days, and 11 stitches, and come back from that. I was able to tear out both of my knees, dislocate both of my elbows, have multiple surgeries — still some I never disclosed with the public — and I was able to come back from that and get my hand raised inside that Octagon.
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“That is the one thing that I’m holding onto. I’ve been down these roads before. I’ve built these roads. If anybody’s going to be able to come back from something like this, it’s going to be me.”
As she continues her road to recovery, Peña said she hasn’t had any talks with the UFC about a potential return to action before 2026. Ideally, the former champion hopes to be healthy enough to compete at the much-discussed UFC event at the White House on next July’s Independence Day weekend.
In the meantime, Peña is sticking around combat sports in a different way. She announced Wednesday that she’ll be on the commentary team at Real American Freestyle’s second event on Oct. 25.
Regarding the UFC women’s bantamweight division, new champion Harrison is expected to make her first title defense against Peña’s old rival, Amanda Nunes, though a date for the bout is unclear.
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Despite her desire to compete at the White House event, Peña wouldn’t mind sitting cageside instead if the long-debated Harrison vs. Nunes superfight lines up for that date.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, like ‘I need to get back by this day,’ Peña said. “A perfect world would be sitting there on the White House lawn watching Amanda and Kayla, and being like, ‘I got next.’
“I just want to sit there and harass them like they’ve been harassing me for my last three fights. It’s ridiculous. It would be nice to just sit there and watch the show and eat some popcorn like they’ve been doing to me.”
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Although Peña doesn’t truly expect to receive another UFC title shot next, she’s still determined to one day get a shot at redemption against either or both former foes.
“I think a trilogy with Amanda would be the best-case scenario, just because we have shared so much time inside the Octagon,” Peña said. “But then, I would also love to fight Kayla again because I know that I can beat her. I just feel like, given the circumstances I’ve been facing with these injuries, I think if I could get into a fight camp healthy, I can beat her. I know I can.”
