SALT LAKE CITY — Spokane native Julianna "The Venezuelan Vixen" Peña returned to the UFC octagon in tremendous fashion after over two years since her last fight.
Peña defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision to regain her UFC bantamweight championship.
Peña lost the championship to Amanda Nunes on July 30, 2022. She had not had another fight in the UFC since.
She was originally scheduled to challenge Nunes for the title again at UFC 289 but pulled out a month before the fight after suffering broken ribs during training. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for Pennington (16-10) extending back to 2020.
Peña dominated the early rounds. She dragged Pennington to the canvas in the second and scored a repeat takedown after sweeping her leg in the third. Both times, Pennington struggled to free herself from her grasp.
Pennington briefly shifted momentum with a fourth-round knockdown off a vicious right hook. She was the better striker through five rounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevail.
It is now likely that the 35 year old Peña will defend her newly won title against Kayla Harrison in the new year.
This is the second title reign for the Mount Spokane High School graduate.
