Julianna Peña talks UFC 277 in Dallas, Amanda Nunes rematch and more

For the primary time in almost 4 years, the UFC is returning to American Airlines Center.

After changing into the UFC ladies’s bantamweight champion in December, Julianna Peña is ready to headline UFC 277 in Dallas on Saturday, July 30 in a rematch in opposition to the lady she beat for the title, present UFC ladies’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes.

At the time, UFC president Dana White known as Peña’s win in December one of many largest upsets in the historical past of combined martial arts. Now, Peña has the chance to cement her place atop the 135-pound division.

UFC 277 is at present scheduled to have two title fights. In addition to the primary occasion, an interim flyweight championship bout between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France will function a co-main. Tickets for “UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes II” are set to go on-sale Friday at 10 a.m. and will likely be accessible for buy at ticketmaster.com.

On Thursday, Peña spoke with The Dallas Morning News about her upcoming combat, serving as a coach in the present season of The Ultimate Fighter reverse of her UFC 277 opponent, her journey to AT&T Stadium for WrestleMania 38 and a lot more:

Let’s rewind somewhat bit. Six months in the past, one of many largest underdogs in the world. Suddenly, you’re now a champion of the world. And now instantly, you’re a headliner for a pay-per-view. How’s life? How has life modified? What is it like being a UFC world champion?

Peña: “Life is great. I can’t complain. This is something that I always saw for myself. It was something that I always wanted, and it was something that I’ve always been working toward. It kind of just justified this thought in my head that I am what I say I am. It was kind of like a, ‘You did it, old girl. You got the job done.’

“Life has changed in the sense that I fly first class everywhere I go now. That’s pretty nice. I’m definitely not going back to economy – I’m just kidding, I have to fly economy on Saturday. Aside from that, I can’t complain. I’m just living the dream. I still have to mop and sweep and vacuum my own floors, you know, still got laundry, still got to wake up at 6:30 and take my kid to school. So, it’s just normal life for me.

“I think being champion is something that I always knew I was in my heart, but it’s definitely not what defines me as a person. For me, it’s about the next thing and the next goal ahead.”

Over your profession, most of your fights have a really completely different number of finishes. Won the title with a submission, however you could have a justifiable share of knockouts. What type of a fighter do you describe your self as?

Peña: “I would consider myself a freestyle fighter, all-around, well-rounded. I would say that I’m comfortable wherever the fight goes. If the fight’s on the feet, then I’ll hang on the feet. If the fight’s in the clinch, if the fight’s on the ground and we’re wrestling, if we’re doing jiu-jitsu – wherever the fight goes, I feel like you have to be versed everywhere in this game because there’s so many different ways to win. And you just need to make sure that you’re ready for wherever the fight takes place. If it’s on the feet, then let’s go. Let’s bang it out. If it’s on the ground, let’s go. I’m going to try to choke you.”

But if we’re being trustworthy, what’s the more satisfying option to win a combat?

Peña: “There’s definitely a helplessness about a rear-naked choke, you know? Putting someone to sleep. I definitely think that that’s a little bit more satisfying for me.”

On her expertise with The Ultimate Fighter, each as a coach this season and as a contestant…

Peña: “The Ultimate Fighter was always a dream come true for me. I have always had this notion that once you get to a certain level, it’s your duty to give back. And I’ve always wanted to help these fighters and just do the best by them that I could and in the capacity that I was given. So, I brought out world-class coaches, people that have helped me in my career from the ground up, that have started with me since I threw my very first punch, to the people that I have joined with here now in Chicago and I really truly believe that they’re well-renowned coaches. I got the best team around me.

“I gave them that team, I gave them those coaches to use. And then of course, the knowledge and the expertise that I have had and that I had while I was on the show. The UFC is looking for stars, and they put me in charge of looking for these next up-and-coming stars. So, it was a job that I took very seriously. It was a job that every day my goal was to get these fighters better in a short period of time, to find the stars and to make sure that I’m giving them all of the resources that I have … so that they could get the best experience while being on the show – something that is going to stick with them for the rest of their lives.”

Amanda Nunes truly simply instructed MMA Fighting a few days in the past that she was shocked at your lack of trash speak throughout TUF. Was that deliberate? Are you ready to string it alongside and ramp it up more in the direction of the combat? Do you could have a response to Amanda?

Peña: “It’s a loaded question. And there’s a lot of points that I want to hit. First and foremost, I would like to say that she said that, you know, I was talking online and that I was trash talking leading up to the fight and that she was expecting me to trash talk more. But if you go back, everything that I said was true. Everything that I said leading up to the fight is exactly what I I did. I said what I was going to do, and then I actually did it. So, to me, that’s not talking trash. That’s talking facts. That’s truth. That actually happened. If I said that she gets winded when she walks up a flight of stairs – that’s a fact, that’s not me talking trash. I mean, the girl gets winded. You see that in her fights.

“Another truth that I mentioned was that she was a champion in a division of “who?” Name three flyweights in the featherweight division. Name two, apart from Amanda. You can’t. Holly [Holm] and Germaine [de Randamie] each stated that they’re true 135-ers. Megan Anderson retired. Cris Cyborg doesn’t combat in the UFC. I can’t wrack my mind for who she’s a champion of in a division that’s doesn’t actually have a rating one to 10. So once more, that’s not me speaking trash that’s stating a reality. And then I noticed in the article, she agreed with me. She agreed and she stated that, you realize, there isn’t any funding in the featherweight division, and the UFC must step it up and do this. So it’s like, am I speaking trash? Or am I telling the reality? Because you’re agreeing with what I’m saying.

“The other point that I wanted to say is, you know, it was brought to my attention through the UFC that she had to go get a sports psychologist, and that her mind was all messed up and that things weren’t clicking in the fight [at UFC 269]. And, you know, her knees were bad. And coming from somebody that’s had all sorts of things happen to me in my career – I feel bad for the poor girl. You want me to continue to talk? I already won the belt. I did my talking by winning. What more do you want me to say? What? You want me to burn the church down, too? Honestly, like, I just, I feel bad for her. She fired her whole team, she had to go see a sports psychologist, she had to go get stuff under wraps so that nobody could know what was going on. She lost her belt. She’s never been tapped. She hadn’t lost in seven years. Like, I feel bad. I already won, and that was enough, you know? I’m not the type to continually pour salt on the wounds. It’s just not my style.

“Furthermore, and my last point, I see the world a little bit differently now that I’m on top of the world. I’m on top of the mountain. My job is to make sure that I’m hitting all of my obligations, that I’m meeting all these media obligations, that I’m hitting on my training obligations, and that I stay at the top of the mountain and kick everyone off that’s trying to climb up it. That’s my job. So, I don’t have time to respond to every little thing that everyone’s going to say to me. My job is to just make sure that I stay at the top of the mountain and that’s my focus.”

On attending WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium in April…

Peña: “WrestleMania was awesome. It was a total experience. I had a blast going. You know, of course, it was great to see Ric and to cheer on Charlotte [Flair]. And I was just actually enthralled with how many people were there. I mean, Cowboys Stadium, the place is like sold out. There was an outrageous amount of people there. And to me, it was so crazy to see the seriousness of how big the fan bases are for the WWE. It was really breathtaking, and it was extraordinary to be there. The energy was incredible. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Seeing WrestleMania inside a stadium, as a result of the wrestling ring shouldn’t be all that a lot greater than an octagon, do you suppose UFC may do a soccer stadium?

Peña: “If the card was strong enough, I definitely think that they could. If the card was strong enough, absolutely. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. No way.”

You additionally had some feedback a pair months in the past about Ronda Rousey going to WWE. Do you ever need to see her come again to the combat recreation? Or do you suppose she’s gone for good?

Peña: “I think she’s gone for good. I do. But in a fairy tale, if it was like a, ‘What’s your biggest wish, dream come true, best-case scenario for you and your career?’ I would love for Ronda to come back to the UFC. But I understand her position. I respect her position. And I think that that she’s a star in the WWE, she was a star in the UFC. And she’s an incredible athlete.”

As far as individuals nonetheless in the sport, do you could have kind of any fantasy fights you can guide in your head? Even as a present champion?

Peña: “You know, that’s something that’s going to happen later on down the road. And the fans will always speak for me. And I definitely have some things in my head and some things that I I want to speak on later on. But at the moment, at the current moment where it stands, Amanda is my sole and only target. And that’s the only person that I see. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse or be looking ahead in the future. What I have in front of me right now is already a tall enough order. And I take it very seriously. And that’s the only thing I need to be worried and talking about.”

Did you at all times need to be a fighter?

Peña: “I didn’t know I wanted to be a fighter. I truly didn’t. Fighting 110% found me. I wasn’t looking for fighting. I didn’t know what the UFC was, I had no idea what cage fighting was. It was just something that I stumbled upon. And, you know, once I kind of wrapped my head around what the sport was, it still shook me to my core to the point that I was like, ‘I’m not doing this, like, are you crazy?’ And then I was like, ‘When’s the next fight?’ [Laughs] So it wasn’t one of those things that I was actively seeking. It just kind of fell into my lap and happened organically. And I think that those are the things that make it so beautiful. The things where I’m not gunning for something so much. It was just something that magically happened. I was in the right place at the right time, and I walked into the right gym at the right time. And you know, the rest is history. But it was definitely not something that I was actively seeking.”

On her #TBT Instagram submit this week: How would you attempt to clarify to that person who at some point your job goes to be kicking individuals’s heads off and placing them to sleep?

Peña: “That was like, I don’t know, like maybe first grade or something … kindergarten. I was I was just a baby in that photo. … What’s so funny is that all day long I’ve been driving around in my car, and I just can’t help but to put that photo back up while I’m driving and staring at it. I’m thinking what would you say to that little girl? Be the person and the version that little girl needed at that time. I’m not trying to be arrogant by any means, but I feel like I’m making that little girl proud now and that I am I’m doing right by that little girl. I’m living my most authentic life. And I’m very happy with the life that I’m living right now. I can honestly say that.”

I’ve received one last item for you. The walkouts of UFC fighters must be one of many coolest experiences sports activities, leisure, take your choose. What goes by your thoughts as you come by the tunnel, the gang, to the ring. What goes by the mind, what goes by the guts, what goes by the soul?

Peña: “I am in the zone. I don’t see anyone. I don’t hear anything. I am 1,000% like a dog they let off the leash and you say, ‘Go get ‘em boy.’ Like, I’m ready to go. I’m the junkyard dog and I’m coming at you 110%. And I’m just waiting for somebody to close that cage door and say, ‘Go.’ So for me, it’s just – I’m ready. I’m ready and prepared. I’m doing what I love to do. It’s just an exhilarating feeling, and it’s also a very lonely one. Kind of. I can hear my corner, you know, but it’s lonely in the sense that once they close that cage door, you’re like, ‘Hey, where’d everybody go? Like, you mean, it’s just me and you, me and you for real? Like, that’s it? No one else?’ So, it can be a little lonely feeling. But it’s only the type of feeling that a fighter would understand.”

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