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Julianna Pena Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Julianna Pena called out by top-ranked flyweight contender

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 6/19/23

With Amanda Nunes’s recent retirement, the list of those throwing their hat into the ring for a shot at the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title (135 pounds) is growing by the day.

The latest fighter to advocate for a shot at Nunes’s vacated belt is Erin Blanchfield, the No. 4-ranked fighter in the women’s flyweight division. Not only does she want a title fight, but she also challenged the last woman to beat Nunes, former champion Julianna Pena.

“I think someone coming up from the flyweight division to fight her, I think would be super interesting,” Blanchfield told MMA Fighting. “I think a lot of people are curious when I’m going to be fighting next. I don’t have anything lined up right now. I know she wants to fight and get her title back, but I feel like I’m one of the most interesting fights right now for that division and for that title. I think it would get a lot of eyes on it, and that’s something I’d definitely be interested in.”

The last woman to hold the belt before Nunes, Pena, who’s the No. 1-ranked women’s bantamweight in the UFC, is the logical choice to fight for the vacant belt. But there are also several other fighters already in the division who have been waiting their turn including No. 2-ranked Raquel Pennington, No. 3-ranked Holly Holm and No. 4-ranked Ketlen Vieira.

Raquel Pennington wants to fight Julianna Peña for the now vacant Bantamweight title. #UFC289 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/fB5KI6gT8X
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) June 11, 2023

However, Blanchfield stated she offers the UFC something none of those other fighters do: a fresh matchup.

“I feel like in the bantamweight division those top five names, top 10 maybe are kind of like recycled names or people that have been around for a while,” Blanchfield said. “They’re very good girls, but they’ve been the same. Bantamweight hasn’t had as many prospects come up as the flyweight division has, and I think throwing my name in there and having me fight for a 135-pound title is definitely going to get a lot of eyes on it.”

After stopping former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade via second-round submission in February, Blanchfield (11-1) appeared destined for a flyweight title fight later this year before Alexa Grasso upset champion Valentina Shevchenko in March.

With those two expected to rematch sometime in September, Blanchfield decided not to sit around and wait for her title fight. Though she already holds a win over one former champion, challenging Pena (11-5) is a risky move for the 24-year-old.

Pena would not only be Blanchfield’s toughest opponent to date, but she has also had 10 fights at bantamweight to Blanchfield’s, well, none. She also has more experience fighting on a big stage, competing in two title fights and winning her season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

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