Germaine de Randamie will return to the Octagon for the first time since losing to Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title.
According to MMAFighting de Randamie will battle Julianna Pena on Oct. 3. Verbal agreements are in place. But, contracts are not signed at this point, nor has the UFC officially announced the fight.
The former featherweight champion in de Randamie is the top-ranked bantamweight contender. In her last fight, she dropped a decision to Nunes for the belt. Before that, the 36-year-old was on a five-fight winning streak. There, she had notable wins over Holly Holm for the featherweight title and bantamweight wins over Raquel Pennington and a 16-second KO win over Aspen Ladd.
Although “Iron Lady” won the inaugural women’s featherweight title, she never defended the belt and was later stripped due to inactivity.
Julianna Pena, meanwhile, returned to the Octagon and the win column back at the UFC Sacramento event last July. There, she beat another former UFC champion in Nicco Montano. Before that, she last fought in 2017 where she lost to Valentina Shevchenko. Pena, who is currently ranked fourth in the division, was expected to battle Aspen Ladd earlier this year. But, Ladd pulled out with a knee injury.
There is no question the winner of Germaine de Randamie vs. Julianna Pena puts themselves in a great position to fight for the belt. Or, perhaps be in a number one contender bout. But, with Iron Lady already being 0-2 against Nunes, she may need a few more wins.
