Julianna Pena scored another win at UFC 192 after hacking out a unanimous decision win over Jessica Eye. Now, the Venezuelan Vixen seems to be focusing her attention on the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
The win was a big one for Pena, considering it was her first against a top 10 opponent. Although she did have some anxious moments when she got hit by an illegal move by Eye, Pena did make a good account of herself to snag the win.
"I want to be the first person, not just female, but male or female to be able to have a title in both boxing and MMA. That's a ton of drive for me," Holm recently said at a press conference in Melbourne.
So, has that performance given her the right to call out Rousey? Well, if it did, she may have to wait at least until November.
Rousey is scheduled to face Holly Holm at UFC 193 to be held at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia this coming November. It remains to be seen if Holm has something special in store for Rousey. The champion's future opponents could be decided after that match.
Assuming Rousey does win as many predict, there is another thing that Pena may have to realize. And that is the fact that she may have to get in line for a possible title shot considering other names are also waiting in the wings.
That list includes Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino or even Miesha Tate as well.
Cyborg is set to compete as well in November at Invicta FC 14 with the venue yet to be announced. The move is believed to be something meant to satisfy the requirements of UFC President Dana White, fight at a lower weight class (135 pounds) although the catchweight for that said match is 140.
It is a start, but obviously, Justino is taking it one step at a time.
Tate, on the other hand, was supposed to meet Rousey for a third time. Unfortunately, the UFC didn't seem to be fine with the idea since it would be the third time both would face each other.
Hence, Pena's challenge could be heard by the UFC but it remains to be seen if she will be Rousey's next opponent for the fight that will most likely happen sometime in 2016.
In the meantime, check out the video below with Pena saying that she is not getting the credit she feels she deserves. The interview was done before her fight with Jessica Eye.
