Julianna Peña

Overview

Four UFC losses, and three of them came by submission. Her biggest win did too: Julianna Peña tapped out Amanda Nunes at UFC 269, and that fight sits at the center of an 8-4 UFC record.

The bantamweight from Spokane debuted in the UFC in 2013 and has fought out of Sik-Jitsu in Spokane. Four of her twelve UFC fights ended in wins inside the distance: two knockouts and two submissions. Four more wins went to the scorecards.

Strong finishing, shaky against grapplers.

UFC Career

Peña opened with two first-round TKOs: Jessica Rakoczy in 4:59 at the TUF Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale, then Milana Dudieva at 3:59 in 2015. Back-to-back unanimous decisions over Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano, the latter at UFC 200, gave her a four-fight winning streak, the longest of her UFC career.

Valentina Shevchenko ended it with a second-round submission at 4:29 in January 2017. Peña's next UFC fight was a decision win over Nicco Montano in 2019, before Germaine de Randamie submitted her in the third round in October 2020.

The turnaround came fast. A third-round submission of Sara McMann at UFC 257 in January 2021 was followed by the biggest win of her career: Amanda Nunes, submitted in the second round at 3:26 at UFC 269. Our model rates Nunes an elite opponent.

The rematch went the other way. Nunes won a unanimous decision over five rounds at UFC 277, and it's the only time Peña has lost on the scorecards.

Her next UFC fight came at UFC 307, where she beat Raquel Pennington by split decision over five rounds. In June 2025 at UFC 316, Kayla Harrison submitted her at 4:55 of the second round, five seconds from the end of the round.

One elite win, one elite loss, and a record shaped by a few big nights.

Fighting Style

Peña is a hard fighter to hit. She lands at about the UFC average on standing exchanges, but she takes in very little in return and defends well, which makes her a clean, defensive striker rather than a busy one.

Her biggest weakness is getting taken down. She gets put on the mat more than most fighters, and three of her four UFC losses came by submission. She also hunts for submissions herself, attempting them more often than most, and two of her four finishes came that way.

Her finishes split cleanly by method. Both knockouts were first-round TKOs, while her two submissions came in round 2 and round 3.

Notable Wins

• Amanda Nunes — submission, round 2 (3:26), UFC 269 (2021)
• Raquel Pennington — split decision, round 5, UFC 307 (2024)
• Sara McMann — submission, round 3 (3:39), UFC 257 (2021)
• Cat Zingano — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC 200 (2016)

Quick Facts

• Division: Women's Bantamweight
• UFC record: 8-4 (2 KO/TKO, 2 submission, 4 decision)
• Professional record (all promotions): 13-6-0
• UFC debut: 2013
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'6" / 69"
• Team: Sik-Jitsu, Spokane, WA
• Born: Spokane, WA, United States