Julianna Pena is hoping that the UFC will create an interim bantamweight title. Covid-19 put Pena’s championship fight against Amanda Nunes on hold after Amanda tested positive for the virus before UFC 265 on August 7th.
Nunes Positive Test
Due to the positive test, the UFC was forced to reschedule the fight for an undisclosed date in the future. However, UFC President Dana White shared that Julianna asked him when the fight could be rescheduled nonstop. She even showed up to the UFC 265 presser and confronted Dana about the matchup disguised as a media member.
Pena on Interim Title Wishes
Continuing her conversations with the UFC 265 media, Pena expressed her compassion for Nunes, motherhood, and health. However, she’d like a chance to win an interim title.
“I heard from a teammate of hers that she hasn’t even been training. Even when she was healthy and is healthy, she has barely been in the gym. So that part is frustrating for me because I have been making this fight my top priority,” said Pena.
“And I have been doing the mom thing, as well. You know, I do want to take this time to say that I understand her position. She is a new mother. She wants to enjoy that time with her baby, and she lacks a little bit of motivation to get up for a fight when she wants to hang out with her little newborn. I get that. I was in that same position. But if you’re not going to fight in December, it will be two years since she has defended the belt at 135 pounds. We’ve got to keep the train moving. Let’s get a girl in there that’s ready to rock, and we’ll fight for the interim belt, and when she’s ready to come back, she can come pry it out of my cold, dead fingers.”
Should the UFC think about making an interim title fight for Pena? After all, Nunes hasn’t defended the bantamweight title since December of 2019. If Julianna gets a chance for a brief battle, who should her opponent be?
