In defense of ring girl, Julianna Peña attacks Ronda: 'She is ignorant and arrogant'

J. Peña (photo) hasn't seen Ronda since TUF 18. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

During the 18th season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, the tournament champion Julianna Pena had a disagreement several times with the rival coach Ronda Rousey. With the feud between the two going beyond the limits of the program, Julianna made a point of coming to the defense of ring girl Arianny Celeste, criticized by Ronda for allegedly being paid more than the fighters themselves, to then detonate the blonde.

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“I thought it was very wrong for Ronda to attack Arianny for several reasons. It's none of Ronda's business how much Arianny earns. She has been with the company for much longer than Ronda and brought a lot of money and exposure to the UFC with appearances in magazines and TV shows”, commented Peña to the “MMA Fighting” website, also remembering his first confusion with Rousey, before the quarterfinals of the TUF 18 final. “Ronda said I didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as Shayna Baszler (her opponent at the time). That's when you know someone is arrogant and ignorant. After the problems we had on the show, I knew she was a bad girl. And I'm not talking about when she's in cage. I hope I never look as unsportsmanlike as she does, because that’s not a champion thing,” she assured.

After discussions with Ronda Rousey before the fight against Shayna Baszler, a friend and now one of the blonde's training partners, Julianna Pena He won the fight that paved the way for his success on the reality show by submission. The scene that followed was one of the most striking in the 18th edition of the program: crying profusely, Ronda was deeply angered by Peña's behavior and the technique. Miesha Tate. In an interview at the time, Julianna did not hide her satisfaction with the outcome of the controversy. "I did Ronda Rousey cry and I loved it!”, said the American of Venezuelan descent.

At 25, Julianna Pena He has a professional record of five wins and two losses. Peña's only fight in Ultimate to date was her triumph over Jessica Racokzy in November 2013, which guaranteed her the TUF 18 title. Soon after, the “Venezuelan Vixen”, as she is known, suffered a serious knee injury, which kept her away from the Octagon for the entirety of last year. Julianna's return will take place on April 4th, against Russian Milana Dudieva, at UFC Fight Night 63.