Julianna Pena is working to balance life as a mother and fighter before committing to a return to the UFC.
Pena (8-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who won Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, has not seen action since a submission loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on FOX 23 in January 2017.
Not long after the defeat, Pena put her fighting career on hold to begin a family. Her daughter was born more than a year ago, though, and “The Venezuelan Vixen” has not yet booked a comeback fight.
During her absence from the octagon Pena, 29, has taken a commentary role with Combate Americas and has apparently been training, as well. Finding the necessary time to commit to a fight camp has been a challenge, though, as Pena explained during a recent social media post detailing her current status (via Instagram):
Not gonna lie. Finding the balance between being a new #mommy and a full time #mma #fighter and commentator
, while trying to hold the #house down has not been the easiest of tasks
Women who have kids
, take care of the house
, and work full time jobs are #superwomen and we do not get enough credit if you ask me! Some of y’all expectations are just wayyy too high!
There are many other #mommy #mma #fighters that I see #makeitwork and they give me #inspiration and #motivation everyday to believe in myself because I know I can do it too!
So… no excuses!! I know I am far overdue for a #fistfight!
I shall find my way back to the #octagon soon but in the meantime, I can’t wait to break in these new @gracieuniversityhq #puffies I just bought !
You can’t tell by the look on my face because that’s my, “I’m ready for war” face, but It’s the little things in life these days that get me #pumped ! Let’s get it ! #ceasargraciejiujitsuwhat
Other than targeting a comeback “soon,” Pena did not detail exactly when she could be back to competition, or who she could potentially fight.
Prior to her loss to Shevchenko, who has since become a UFC champ, Pena rattled off a four-fight winning streak that included a pair of notable triumphs against Cat Zingano and Jessica Eye.
Before her hiatus Pena was ranked highly in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA women’s bantamweight rankings. However, she was removed from the list at the point she reached two years of inactivity, per the rankings policy.
For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
Women who have kids 
and we do not get enough credit if you ask me! Some of y’all expectations are just wayyy too high! There are many other #mommy #mma #fighters that I see #makeitwork and they give me #inspiration and #motivation everyday to believe in myself because I know I can do it too! So… no excuses!! I know I am far overdue for a #fistfight! I shall find my way back to the #octagon soon but in the meantime, I can’t wait to break in these new @gracieuniversityhq #puffies I just bought ! You can’t tell by the look on my face because that’s my, “I’m ready for war” face, but It’s the little things in life these days that get me #pumped ! Let’s get it ! #ceasargraciejiujitsuwhat