What’s next for Julianna Pena after UFC 316?

This past weekend in the co-main event of UFC 316, the women’s bantamweight title was on the line. Two-time champion Julianna Pena (11-6) was looking to defend her title against Olympic Gold Medalist and former PFL champion Kayla Harrison (19-1).

Now, Harrison entered the bout as a massive favorite and for good reason. If these two had equal cardio, this fight was not that competitive on paper. Harrison is an elite grappler with improving striking whereas Julianna Pena is decent everywhere but she mainly relies on her toughness and her cardio to outlast her opponents.

I expected Pena to lose the early rounds with her only chance being to outlast Harrison and take over late. In the first round, Pena was taken down and then she lost a point with an illegal upkick that hit Harrison. In the second round, she was taken down again and it looked like she was going to be in a 20-17 hole.

However, in the last ten seconds, Harrison locked in a kimura and got the tap to become the new UFC bantamweight champion.

What’s next after UFC 316?

Julianna Pena took to Instagram to express her gratitude as well as talk about what’s next for her. Pena said, “Thank you to the fans who lifted me with your love and encouragement during this fight camp. I love you all and feel so grateful for all the support and energy you guys give me—It truly means the world! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get the job done. I’m super disappointed but hats off to Kayla on her win! Time to get healed up and get ready for her next fight because I’m calling dibs on the winner!”

One thing you can’t ever say about Julianna Pena is that she lacks confidence. That said, there’s no way I think the UFC should give her the winner of Kayla Harrison – Amanda Nunes. Yes, Pena is a two-time champion and you cannot take that away from her. That said, she was gifted a decision against Raquel Pennington where virtually nobody thought that she won. She was dominated by Amanda Nunes in their rematch and Harrison ran right through her.

In order for the UFC to give her another crack at the title, she has to get another win. Honestly, the perfect fight is to just run it back with Raquel Pennington. It screams five-round APEX main event and it could provide a challenger for the winner of Harrison – Nunes unless there’s an immediate rematch. Pennington and Pena are both former champions and their first fight was very close. Just run this one back and then the winner can potentially fight for the title.