Julianna Pena is an American professional mixed martial artist. At present, she competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where she is the current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Moreover, she is also the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter. As of 13th December 2021, she is ranked #4 in the UFC women’s pound for pound rankings. She made her professional MMA debut in May 2009 in a match against Raylene Harvey. She won the match in 2 minutes and 58 seconds via submission after putting Harvey in a rear-naked choke. She made her TV show debut in 2013 with the reality action series The Ultimate Fighter. In 2013, she was awarded the mixed martial arts comeback of the year award. She is nicknamed ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’.
What makes Julianna Pena so famous?
- Being a professional mixed martial artist.
- Being the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter.
- For winning reality television series and MMA competition, The Ultimate Fighter 18 Tournament.
Source: @instagram.com/venezuelanvixen
What Nationality is Julianna Pena? Know About Her Birthplace, Family, and Real Name
Julianna Pena was born on 19th August 1989 making her the present age of 32 as of 2021. Her birth name is Julianna Nicole Pena. Her hometown or birthplace is Spokane, Washington. She was born as the youngest of four children to her parents; Ernie Pena (father) and Pamela Pena (mother). Thus, she has three siblings. She is the younger sister of former KREM 2 reporter and morning/noon meteorologist Grace Peña. She is American by nationality and her ethnicity is mixed as she is of Mexican and Venezuelan decent. Her race is White. Her Zodiac sign falls under Leo and she follows the Christianity religion.
About her education, she graduated in 2007 from Mt. Spokane High School. After that, she attended Spokane Community College. Next, she enrolled in a cardio kickboxing class to lose weight and channel aggression in her early adulthood, and subsequently, she transitioned to mixed martial arts.
Julianna Pena Career Timeline
- Julianna Pena made her professional MMA debut in May 2009.
- After winning four consecutive fights, she lost her first fight in April 2012 to future fellow The Ultimate Fighter 18 cast member Sarah Moras in a 140-pound catchweight bout.
- Later, she was involved in an accident with a drunk driver while walking in downtown Spokane in which she was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken nose.
- She then returned to professional competition in a fight in the flyweight division.
- In August 2013, it was announced that Pena was one of the fighters selected to be on “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate”.
- She next faced Gina Mazany in the elimination fight winning a clear unanimous decision victory after two rounds.
- She faced veteran and top-ten ranked Shayna Baszler during the first tournament fight in the house.
- She next fought against Sarah Moras in the semifinals where Pena lost the match as she suffered an injury due to an armbar which forced the doctor to stop the bout between the second and third rounds. She then won the fight via guillotine choke in the second round to avenge the loss.
- On 20th November 2013, she faced Jessica Rakoczy at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale where she won the bout via TKO.
- Later, she suffered an injury to her right knee while grappling in training, ultimately damaging, among other aspects, her ACL, MCL, LCL, and meniscus which required surgery.
- The injury kept Peña out of action for the rest of 2014.
- She made her return facing Milana Dudieva on 4th April 2015 at UFC Fight Night 63 where she won the fight via TKO in the first round winning her first Performance of the Night bonus award.
- On 3rd October 2015, she faced Jessica Eye at UFC 192 winning the fight by unanimous decision.
- On 9th July 2016, she won the fight via unanimous decision against Cat Zingano at UFC 200.
- She lost the fight against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on Fox 23 on 28th January 2017.
- On 13th July 13, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 13, nearly two and a half years from her last bout, she returned and faced former UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship Nicco Montaño, replacing an injured Sara McMann after her pregnancy. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
- On 28th March 2020, she faced Aspen Ladd at UFC on ESPN 8 where she pulled out of the fight in early March citing an injury.
- On 4th October 2020, she faced Germaine de Randamie at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. She lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round three.
- She won the fight via submission in round three against Sara McMann on 24th January 2021.
- After that, she was expected to face Amanda Nunes for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship on August 7, 2021, at UFC 265. But Nunes tested positive for COVID-19 on July 29, 2021. The bout was later rescheduled to UFC 269 on December 11, 2021. She won the bout by rear-naked choke submission in what is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
- Regarding her MMA records, she played 15 matches out of which she won 11 fights and lost 4 fights.
- Julianna Pena is also active in the entertainment field. She featured in the award-winning mixed martial arts documentary “Fight Life” which was released in the year 2013.
- He is an announcer, along with Max Bretos, for Combate Americas’ English language broadcast on DAZN.
Source: @instagram.com/venezuelanvixen
Awards and Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship (one time; current)
- The Ultimate Fighter 18 Tournament Winner
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Milana Dudieva, Amanda Nunes
MMAjunkie.com
- 2021 January Submission of the Month vs. Sara McMann
Source: @instagram.com/venezuelanvixen
Julianna Pena Personal Life: Who is she married to?
Julianna Pena is a married woman. Whereas there are no details regarding her husband’s name, married date, and their relationship history. She is very secretive when it comes to her personal life. In January 2018, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter namely Issa Cruz. She is enjoying her present life happily without any disturbances. Her sexual orientation is straight.
Source: @instagram.com/venezuelanvixen
Back on 20th September 2015, she was arrested in Spokane, Washington, and was charged with two counts of assault due to an altercation with bar staff following an earlier street fight in which Josh Gow, her training partner on the Sikjitsu fight team, had been injured. A judge later granted a stipulation order of continuance in her case such that if Peña had no other incidents for a year, the case would be dismissed.
Julianna Pena Net Worth in 2021: How much is she making annually?
Julianna Pena is a talented and successful fighter. She is one of the best female fighters in the UFC who currently competes in the bantamweight division. Her net worth is estimated to have $500K as of 2021. Her contract with UFC pays her a salary of $56K as per reports. At present, her exact salary has not been disclosed yet. However, she is living a cool lifestyle as of today. She has not done any endorsement deals.
Julianna Pena Body Measurements: How tall is she?
Julianna Pena is a beautiful woman with the perfect height of 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) and her balanced bodyweight consists of 135 lbs or 61 Kg or 9.6 st. Her highest reach is 69 in or 175 cm. Her body type is athletic. Her hair color and eye color, both are dark browns. She has a strong and muscular body with a prominent nose. Her body measurement is 35-25-35 in or 89-63.5-89 cm and she wears a dress size of 6 (US) or 36 (EU). Her bra size is 34A and her shoe size is 8 US or 38.5 EU. Overall, she has got a healthy body with a charming personality attracting a lot of people towards her.
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