Tag: Julianna Pena

Chael Sonnen: Julianna Peña ‘trolled’ Kayla Harrison at UFC 307 by calling out Amanda Nunes

Julianna Peña may legitimately want to settle the score with Amanda Nunes, but Chael Sonnen thought she was trolling Kayla Harrison.

UFC desk analyst [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] doesn’t believe [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] was genuine with her post-fight call out of Amanda Nunes at UFC 307.

In the immediate aftermath of Bruce Buffer shouting “and new” for Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as the split decision winner over Raquel Pennington to reclaim the women’s bantamweight title, “The Venezuelan Vixen” responded to a question from Joe Rogan about who she wants next.

Throughout the build of the event, Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] was propped up as the next title challenger, should she defeat Ketlen Vieira in the main card opener. Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was also tabbed as the backup for the title fight, should something have gone wrong during fight week.

Harrison’s services as a backup were unnecessary, and she took care of business against Vieira, dominating the fight when it hit the ground.

Peña had the opportunity to put cut a fantastic promo on the potential showdown against Harrison, but instead, she hit everyone with a swerve, calling out Nunes, who is now retired.

Peña and Nunes are 1-1 in title fights, so a rubber match would make sense on paper. However, aside from all-emoji tweets from Nunes, there is no indication she will be returning to action.

As the two-time bantamweight champ carried on with her call out of Nunes, a split screen showed Harrison’s reaction backstage, who motioned with her fingers that Peña was running from her.

Sonnen found the shout hilarious.

“That’s a troll job!” Sonnen said laughing during the UFC 307 post-fight show. “That’s a troll job! Amanda’s not even in the organization. If she comes back, she’d like to start at 145 – I mean, not for nothing, the division’s gone. We got a lot of room between those two fighting.

“It’s obviously Kayla. Peña knows it’s Kayla, which is great. … That was a troll job, and it was very well done.”

Sonnen then harkened back to when former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley pulled a similar move on Merab Dvalishvili, by calling out Ilia Topuria instead. Ultimately, the fight between O’Malley and Dvalishvili came together, and the latter won the showdown at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

During a post-fight press conference, Peña ensured her ambition was real by doubling down on her call out of Nunes. She stated she believed the former two-division champion retired too early and does not know what she wants to do with her life now.

But before Peña can comfortably move on to a different challenger, Sonnen believes she may have unfinished business with Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC), considering the controversial nature of the judges’ scorecards in the split decision.

“I believe Kayla will get the nod, but Pennington’s back in the conversation,” Sonnen said. “There’s a lot of people, I am one of them, that believes Pennington won this fight. I picked Peña. I have a personal relationship with Peña. I was rooting for Peña. She did not win this fight, not based on what I saw.”

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Julianna Peña calls for Amanda Nunes trilogy after UFC 307 title win: ‘Biggest fight in women’s MMA history’

Julianna Peña is hoping to welcome Amanda Nunes back from retirement following her win at Saturday’s UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] is determined to settle the score with [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag].

Despite Nunes being retired, Peña (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is still holding out hope for a third fight between the two, especially after her latest showing in the octagon. Peña recaptured the UFC women’s bantamweight title Saturday by outpointing Raquel Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a split decision in the co-main event of UFC 307.

Peña hopes her championship win is enough to lure back Nunes from retirement, that way they can break their 1-1 tie and settle the score to their rivarly.

“When I saw Amanda retire that day, I was sitting cageside, and I was booing because I didn’t believe she was truly done,” Peña said at the UFC 307 post-fight interview. “You hear Dana White saying that he thinks she retired too early, and then you watch her and I think she’s just twiddling her thumbs and saying, ‘What am I doing? I’m bored. Who am I if I’m not fighting in the UFC?’

“There’s an air that I feel that she’s missing this sport and trying to find something to make her want to come back. … I truly do not believe she’s done. She retired too early. I think that she’s looking for something to do.”

Apart from Nunes expressing interest in potentially fighting again, Peña believes a third fight between the two would be the biggest fight in the history of women’s MMA.

“That, to me, is the biggest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history because we’re 1-1,” Peña said. “My fight against her was so dominant, I made her tap. Our second time, I ran out of time. I lost a decision handily – fine. No problem. But it would be nice to put it to bed once and for all and get that trilogy fight that she ran away from.”

There’s no guarantee Nunes would be interested in a return. But if that is the case, Peña is fine defending her title against Kayla Harrsion – who also fought at UFC 307 and beat Ketlen Vieira.

“If Amanda cowards away and doesn’t come back and fight me, then yes, you’re absolutely right: Kayla brings a lot of eyeballs and attention to the sport, and I love that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program cracks $29 million total paid since Venum deal

The UFC has now paid more than $29 million to its athletes under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program following UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 307 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $407,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 307 took place at Delta Center in Utah. The main card aired on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 307 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Tecia Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,302,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,039,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Julianna Peña def. Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Julianna Peña’s split decision win over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] to win the women’s bantamweight title at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. (Fight and venue photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)

UFC 307 results: Julianna Peña claims gold again in controversial decision over Raquel Pennington

Julianna Peña is UFC champion once again, despite most media members and fans disagreeing with the decision.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] has gold around her waist once again.

In the UFC 307 co-main event Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) defeated [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to win the promotion’s women’s bantamweight title.

The first round was closely contest with both women standing at distance, testing out their technical striking. The next three rounds were a bit more clear-cut. In Round 2, Peña took Pennington down and controlled her for much of the round in side control.

In Round 3, Peña dragged the fight to the canvas again. This time, she worked from the back with a body lock. She tried to lock in a rear-naked choke and face crank, but Pennington fended her off until the horn.

Peña found success on the feet in Round 4, as she outpointed Pennington. That is, until Pennington landed the first knockdown of her 19-fight UFC career. It was a massive right hand that floored Peña. Rather than pounce with strikes, Pennington sought a guillotine choke. Peña grabbed hold of Pennington and got back to the feet.

In Round 5, both fighters were visibly tired. Pennington seemed a bit sharper and fresher and landed hard shots on Peña, who wobbled at one point due to a big punch. Peña was much more defensive-minded in the round as Pennington pushed the action.

In the end, it was Peña who was awarded the title by split decision.

The decision was highly controversial with 25 media members scoring the bout for Pennington, one scoring it a draw, and none scoring it for Peña, according to MMADecisions.com. At the time of publication, over 85 percent of fan voters also scored the fight for Pennington.

After the fight, Peña was asked about fighting [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] next. Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision earlier in the night. Peña elected to call for a trilogy vs. Amanda Nunes instead. The answer visually amused Harrison, who signaled that Peña was running.

Peña first claimed gold in December 2021 when she defeated Nunes by submission in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. She then lost the title to Nunes by unanimous in July 2022. Saturday’s fight was her first since that bout.

Pennington has a six-fight winning streak snapped by coming up short in her first title defense attempt. She won the title that was vacated by Nunes when she defeated Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision in January.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 307 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree preview show live stream with Farah Hannoun

Before the fights get underway, join MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun for a live-streamed preview of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

UFC 307 goes down Saturday night with two title fights atop the bill, and before the fights get underway, Farah Hannoun will host a live-streamed preview show right here, which kicks off at 5 p.m. ET.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her title for the first time when she meets ex-champ [autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). In addition, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as a huge favorite.

UFC 307 takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Below is the complete lineup:

UFC 307 main card

  • Champ Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland

UFC 307 preliminary card

  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Austin Hubbard

UFC 307 early preliminary card

  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
  • Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
  • Court McGee vs. Tim Means

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: Fighters shed final pounds for weigh-ins: ‘It ain’t easy, but it’s worth it’

The sixth episode of UFC 307 “Embedded” follows Alex Pereira and other stars of the pay-per-view through their weight cut.

The UFC is back on Mountain Time for UFC 307, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her title for the first time when she meets ex-champ [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). In addition, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as a huge favorite.

The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Raquel Pennington reflects on her upcoming fight against Julianna Peña; athletes cut weight before official weigh-ins; Champ Alex Pereira gets his warrior face paint; The stars of UFC 307 face off one last time at the Ceremonial Weigh-ins.

Previous UFC 307 ‘Embedded’ episodes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307: Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 307 odds between Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round women’s bantamweight championship bout in the co-main event, Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena meet Saturday at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC 307: Pennington vs. Pena odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNews/ESPN+, and the main card begins at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View.

Records: Pennington (16-9-0) | Pena (12-5-0)

Pennington lost her 1st championship attempt against Amanda Nunes back in May 2018 at UFC 224. She fought hard to position herself for another chance at a strap, and she topped Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision at UFC 297 in late January to finally become a champion. Now, she faces her 1st title defense.

Pennington has won 6 consecutive bouts, with 5 of those victories coming by way of decision. The lone finish was a 2nd-round submission against Macy Chiasson in Dec. 2021.

Pena steps into the octagon for the 1st time since suffering a unanimous-decision setback to Nunes back at UFC 277 in a title bout. She was trying to defend her belt after submitting Nunes at UFC 269 for her 1st title. Pena was supposed to fight a 3rd and deciding fight with Nunes at UFC 289, but Pena had to pull out due to broken ribs suffered in training camp.

Pena holds a 1.5-inch reach advantage over the champ, while Pennington has a 4.14-to-3.16 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. Pena is slightly more accurate at 65.0%, to 60.24% for the champ. Pena’s ground game has been much better, too, and he dominates in takedown average (1.94) and takedown accuracy percentage (55.17%).

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 307: Pennington vs. Pena odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of UFC odds. Lines last updated at 1:15 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Pennington -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Pena +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -250 | No +175)

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UFC 307: Pennington vs. Pena picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

PENNINGTON (-165) is a solid bet to get the job done on the 2-way line.

While Pena (+135) has a slight reach advantage, and she is a little more accurate on her significant strikes, she hasn’t fought in over 26 months. It remains to be seen how her cardio will be after not having been involved in a meaningful fight since July 30, 2022.

In addition, Pennington is likely to take this the distance. She has ended up going the distance in 3 consecutive bouts, 8 of the past 9 fights, and 11 of the previous 13 outings since UFC 202. She wins regularly, but she just doesn’t get finishes.

As a result, also look to PENNINGTON BY DECISION (+100) at even-money for the method of victory.

Over/Under (O/U)

Yes (-250): Will the fight go the distance? will set you back 2 1/2 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not nearly enough reward.

Again, 11 of the past 13 fights have gone the distance for Pennington, while Pena has ended up needing the assistance of the judges to determine a winner in 4 of her previous 8 outings.

PASS.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree watch-along live stream with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

UFC 307 goes down Saturday night with two title fights atop the bill, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 8 p.m. ET.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her title for the first time when she meets ex-champ [autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC). In addition, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) as a huge favorite.

UFC 307 takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Below is the complete lineup of fights included in the watch-along:

UFC 307 main card

  • Champ Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland

UFC 307 preliminary card

  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Austin Hubbard

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

What time is Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña fight? Walkout time for UFC 307 co-main event

Here’s when to expect Raquel Pennington and Julianna Peña to make their cage walks at UFC 307.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] will throw down for gold at UFC 307. This women’s bantamweight championship bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Some heat has built up between the two ladies during fight week after Peña (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) trashed Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) as a champion, prompting a response from the titleholder.

Pennington claimed the title vacated by the retired Amanda Nunes this past January at UFC 297 where she dominated Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington is on a six-fight winning streak dating back to 2020.

Peña, on the other hand, hasn’t competed in more than two years, when Nunes reclaimed her title with a lopsided decision in their rematch at UFC 277. Peña had earned the title with a shocking finish of Nunes in December 2021 that was named Upset of the Year by MMA Junkie.

Here are the walkout times for the UFC 307 co-main event between Pennington and Peña.

When does the UFC 307 fight card start?

  • The UFC 307 lineup consists of 12 fights. Early prelims start at 6:30 p.m. ET, prelims at 8 p.m. ET, and the pay-per-view main card at 10 p.m. ET.

Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña walkout time

  • As the co-main event, Pennington and Peña are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 11:45 p.m. ET (9:45 p.m. locally in Salt Lake City).
  • The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.