Julianna Peña is looking to have some fun before she takes on Nunes again.
The new UFC Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña is already making plans for her next move in the division. Peña made headlines when she defeated two-division champ Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. The win by Peña shocked many, as Nunes was on a 12-fight winning streak and defeated some of the best names in women’s MMA along her way. Now that Peña is holding the belt, she has an idea of what could be next.
Rumors have already been circling that the UFC is interested in a rematch between Peña and Nunes. Peña, who got her start in the UFC as a member of The Ultimate Fighter, would like to return to her roots and coach a season against Nunes.
“A dream come true for me would be to coach The Ultimate Fighter and then go right into the rematch,” she told BT Sports. “So, that’s a perfect-world scenario. I know we don’t live in a perfect world, but that’s what I would like. As long as I can get the rematch at whatever time, that’s what’s gonna make me happiest.”
At the moment, this is all a dream for Peña, but that doesn’t mean that it will never happen. Peña claims that this idea is already in the planning phase and talks have begun.
“Yeah, it has,” Peña said of TUF talks. “So, I mean, we’ll see.
The future is unclear for Nunes, who has a bit more freedom than Peña at this point. Nunes still holds the featherweight title and could very well defend that as her next fight.
Also, Nunes is in the process of changing gyms and fight camps. This fact could delay her return. If Nunes is indeed looking for an immediate rematch, the idea of coaching on TUF could be a good way to have some training time before getting back in the Octagon.
