Sorry! ‘UFC Force-Fed This Horrible Interim Title Fight’

Julianna Pena will be on the outside looking in at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024.

The first UFC pay-per-view (PPV) of 2024 is shaping up to be a good one when the promotion returns to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the first time since UFC 231 in December 2018. Atop the billing will be a pair of title fights as new Middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland, makes his first title defense opposite South African knockout artist, Dricus Du Plessis, in the main event. Directly before that, a new women’s Bantamweight champion will be crowned when top contenders, Raquel Penningtion, and Mayra Bueno Silva, collide for the vacant strap.

Unfortunately for the former champion, Pena, she was left out of the mix. According to her, Pena was supposed to be involved and will await the winner, but the rib injury from earlier in 2023 that pulled her from her Amanda Nunes trilogy bout at UFC 289 in June continues to linger.

“I’m sorry that you guys are going to be force-fed this horrible interim title fight,” Pena said on The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Junkie). “It’s going to be interim. They’re just keeping it warm. They’re belt warming until I come back. Mama’s coming back, so apologies for the fact that I cannot compete, but I will be back fighting. My next fight will be for a title, so whoever wins between those two chicks, I’ll be fighting the winner.”

Pena, 34, last fought when she lost the title by unanimous decision in her rematch with Nunes at UFC 277 in July 2022 (watch highlights). Meanwhile, Pennington and Bueno Silva have established long and impressive winning streaks within the division, each last scoring victories in January and February 2023, respectively.

Bueno Silva’s last fight was originally a win over former champion, Holly Holm, in July 2023, however. The Brazilian managed to lock on a stunning second round ninja choke, forcing the tap for the biggest win of Bueno Silva’s career (watch highlights). Unfortunately for her, the win was eventually overturned to a no-contest after Bueno Silva tested positive for ADHD medication. Regardless, she and Pena have taken several shots at each other since.

“Here’s the thing: At least Mayra is like a dance partner, you know what I mean?” Pena said. “Because look, at the end of the day — love me, hate me whatever, I want you guys to be invested in my success. I want you to be invested in my failures. It doesn’t matter. I need you guys to watch the fights. I want you guys to watch me fight.

“And the point of the banter [and] back-and-forth is so that I can have a dance partner, so that I can make it more exciting so that people are going to want to watch,” she continued. “With Mayra, I have that in her because she’s got a mouth, I’ve got a mouth, and we can go back and forth. With Raquel, it’s kind of like crickets. For me, it’d be better if Mayra wins so that way we can make it more exciting for all of you guys.”