Julianna Peña recently opened up about her long-standing feud with Raquel Pennington, which has simmered since their days on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) back in 2013.
Many fans might not remember that both Peña and Pennington were part of Team Miesha Tate against Team Ronda Rousey during season 18 of the MMA reality show. Despite both appearing on the show, the two bantamweights never clashed. Now, over a decade later, fate has finally aligned them for a long-awaited showdown inside the Octagon.
“The Venezuelan Vixen” is set to take her second shot at the women’s bantamweight crown when she faces reigning champion Pennington in the co-main event of UFC 307 this Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Although Peña and Pennington were teammates on The Ultimate Fighter, they were often at odds. Despite their friction, the Washington native went on to win the season with a dominant first-round knockout over Team Rousey’s Jessica Rakoczy, while ‘Rocky’ was forced to withdraw early from the competition due to injury.
Peña Intends To Make Pennington Regret Past Behavior At UFC 307
During a recent interview with SHAK MMA, “The Venezuelan Vixen” reflected on her time during TUF 18, when she and her now rival Pennington were roommates. The former UFC bantamweight champion revealed that she had been nothing but helpful and supportive during their stint but claimed that ‘Rocky’ was consistently rude to her.
“Raquel and I have had our history of little spats,” Peña said. “If you watch The Ultimate Fighter, she was doing things and saying things that I disagreed with, and it gets to be one of those—I don’t know if you saw that Netflix series Worst Roommate Ever—where they just have these like terrible roommates, and I’m like, I’m doing all of your dishes, I’m giving you makeovers, I’m teaching you how to walk like a runway model. Why are you so horrible to me? Why are you making my life a living hell?””
Peña boldly declared that she plans to hold Pennington accountable for her past transgressions and settle their animosity when they clash inside the Octagon at UFC 307 this weekend.
“For me, it’s just one of those things where I would much rather get it over with. This has been 13 years in the making, and it’s time for the worst roommate ever to get their due justice.”
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