With this weekend’s UFC action headed to the United Kingdom, the promotion showcased its striking power at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ – Old Trafford, the home ground of English Premier League giant, Manchester United. Alexander Volkanovski, Michael ‘Venom’ Page & Julianna Peña were all seen taking the knee and posing for some photos at the iconic stadium.
However, while some appreciated the UFC including fighters from all weight classes and genders, most fans were riled up after seeing Peña tagged as a striking powerhouse along with ‘Volk’ and MVP.
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Expressing their displeasure on social media, several fans poured in with their comments, lambasting UFC for deeming the outspoken former champ a graceful striker.
“oh no not Julianna Pena.”
Commented one fan who outright relayed his thoughts after finding Pena in the midst, wearing a United Jersey. Others just trolled the ‘Venezuelan Vixen’ mercilessly, essentially deeming that Peña and power are two words at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
“Some striking power…. and Juliana Pena.”
“Pena power? Seriously?”
Meanwhile, some fans were quite surprised to see the 34-year-old featured in the promotion while one ardent United supporter even noted down his frustration seeing the Venezuelan donning the team’s color.
“Why is Pena there.”
“Someone tell Juliana to get away from my club.”
Peña knows that she is deeply disliked in the UFC community, but is okay with that. While she was able to upset the great Amanda Nunes and take her crown, her antics and trash talk have garnered her quite a lot of hate from the community. On top of it, fans also believe that she has a pretty sub-par fight IQ.
Well, despite the hate, Pena refuses to stay away from controversy, as she recently came forward to criticize former UFC superstar Ronda Rousey for her behavior.
Peña critics Rousey for making up “excuses”
Hardcore MMA fans know Ronda Rousey as the sport’s first lady superstar. Being the promotion’s first female fighter and its first female champion, the 37-year-old played a key role in the UFC becoming as big as it is. However, her career did not end kindly, as she lost back-to-back fights before stepping away from everything.
While it was indeed a bitter end to such a fascinating run, Peña doesn’t consider ‘Rowdy’ the perfect peer. In an exclusive to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Peña slammed Rousey for not taking accountability for her losses and failing to self-reflect on her actions. Moreover, she insisted that the 37-year-old simply made up “excuses,” shifting the blame to others instead of acting upon her doings.
