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Pena is set to challenge Raquel Pennington for the bantamweight title in the co-main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Dumont, Pena getting the next title shot is a slap in the face of the rest of the division. Dumont believes “The Venezuelan Vixen” has done nothing of significance to warrant a title shot.
Pena’s biggest claim to fame is a submission win over Amanda Nunes to win the bantamweight title at UFC 269 in 2021 in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. Dumont claims Pena’s win over Nunes came on a night when the “Lioness” just wasn’t herself. Dumont also recalled Pena’s lopsided beatdown on the way to a unanimous decision loss against “The Lioness” in their rematch at UFC 277 in July 2022. Dumont believes it is really unfair that the upcoming title shot goes to Pena, considering she hasn’t fought since.
“It was really a slap on the face of the entire division,” Dumont told MMA Mania. “Julianna, who hasn’t really won any fights, hasn’t fought in so long, and even she beat Amanda in a day that Amanda just wasn’t Amanda. She just wasn’t there. And then on the other fight, she got the full beating, three nights of beatings worth in one night. That was the real Julianna right there. Then she comes back after two and a half years of running away from any fight offered to her to then be given a gift and fighting for the belt. So yeah, it’s not good. A slap in the face of the division, but also not the first time that it has happened.”
While Dumont doesn’t consider Pennington a dominant champ, she just considers Pena bad enough for “Rocky” to retain her title at UFC 307.
“I think Raquel wins this fight, not because I think she’s a dominant champion, because I don’t think that,” Dumont said. “But I just think Julianna is just that bad. I mean, she got submitted by Germaine [de Randamie]. I mean, come on. It’s weird to say Raquel is gonna win, but I think she wins this one."
Currently riding a four-fight winning streak, Dumont is slated to take on Irene Aldana at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
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