UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña has called out former champion and current WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey.
Peña defeated Amanda Nunes to become champion at UFC 269 last December and will defend against Nunes later this year.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Peña made her desire to fight Rousey clear. She said,
“That has always been a fight that interests me. When Dana White allowed women into the UFC, he just handed Ronda a belt. She didn’t have to compete, she didn’t have to do anything. He just said, ‘Hey, welcome to this promotion, here’s this shiny belt.’ After he gave her the belt, she had to fight Liz Carmouche. At that point, I’m on The Ultimate Fighter. I wasn’t fighting one person, I had to fight four people. When I came out as the winner, I was ready to face Ronda.”
Rousey retired from the UFC after suffering two straight losses and hasn’t fought since December 2016. Peña added,
“If she ever does get an itch to avenge those losses, I would love the opportunity to compete against her and fight her. I don’t think that that’s going to happen. Let’s face it, she’s a star. She’s killing it in the WWE, and she can make a ton more money doing what she does over there instead of doing the real s—. But if she wants to challenge herself and come back to the real stuff, I’ll be here.”
Rousey will challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in an “I Quit” match at WrestleMania: Backlash.
