So, everybody remembers Pena. The question is, will being out since the loss of her title to Nunes in July of 2022 have Pena stepping into the Octagon as that fighter we remember?
“There’s always those people that talk about ring rust and all that stuff, and there’s got to be some truth to that, but I have constantly had these breaks, whether it be injuries or pregnancy or things that have kept me out of the sport for years on end,” she said. “And then, when I come back, all is well again. So I don’t ever look at it like, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t competed in two years. What am I going to do?’ I’m like, this is just the way that it is. And when I get there, I’ll do what I know how to do instinctually, and everything will be fine, and the chips are going to fall how they fall. But, I don’t look at it like, ‘Ah, panic, ring rust.’ I just look at it as, yeah, I had to take the time off and that’s just the way that it is. And I’m not going to think too much about it or broadcast it or highlight it because, at the end of the day, I know I can fight and when that cage door closes, I’m going to give them hell or die trying and everybody knows that.”
How To Watch UFC 307 In Your Country
That’s why no one will forget Pena. There’s a tenacity to her when the Octagon door closes that reminds you that beyond all the bright lights, the rules, and the sporting aspect of this, that what happens in there is a fight. And the 35-year-old Spokane native has always been a fighter. That was never more evident than on December 11, 2021, when, as a prohibitive underdog, she put it on the G.O.A.T. of female combat sports, Nunes, and took her title. Sure, Pena lost the rematch, but the first win was no fluke. That’s the fight and talent she brings to the table, and while Pennington enters Saturday’s bout as the favorite, there are just as many people who see it the other way around. Pena is one of them, but she’s not about to get caught up in getting overconfident.
“That’s exactly the problem that I’ve faced in the past,” she admits. “When I fought Valentina Shevchenko, I was kicking her ass and I punched myself into a submission. I lost myself that fight. And then the same thing with Germaine de Randamie. I’m thinking, how am I going to stand up with this kickboxer who’s 12-feet tall and has been kickboxing since she was three years old? What am I going to do? I had that chick backing up the entire time, and I was so overzealous that I just got caught. And all of a sudden, I’m waking up, looking at the lights and flopping like a fish. I am handing these losses to myself and giving these wins away to these girls just by being stupid. But I feel like I’ve made those mistakes. I’ve done those errors to the point where it’s like, I’m not going to get so hasty. I’ve been thinking about this fight for 18 months. All I have to do is just show up and be me and do my job, and the rest should take care of itself. I won’t be making those JV mistakes again. And I believe that the rest will take care of itself.”
As for the underdog role, Pena has been there and done that, and she doesn’t mind it because this underdog bites.