After it was reported Thursday that a potential plan was in place if Julianna Pena can’t fight soon, a new hat has been thrown into the proverbial ring.
Manager Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie that an interim women’s bantamweight title may be on the table soon if Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) can’t fight. Peña won back the 135-pound belt with a split decision win over Raquel Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-6 UFC) at UFC 307 in October.
The decision was a highly debatable one. Only one of 29 media members tracked by MMA Decisions scored the fight for Peña. Another scored it a draw, but 27 of 29 had it for Pennington.
That’s no doubt one of the reasons Abdelaziz thinks Pennington would fight Kayla Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) if an interim situation arises. It has been expected that Peña would fight Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion, next after her early 2-0 start in the UFC.
But another fighter thinks the brakes should be pumped on the talk of Pennington against Harrison if an interim situation comes up. Norma Dumont (12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has won five straight fights, all by decision, including victories in 2024 against Germaine de Randamie and Irene Aldana.
The win over Aldana in particular was notable for its absolute gore. Aldana suffered one of the worst cuts in recent memory and was left an absolute horror show by Dumont’s striking.
Dumont referenced MMA Junkie’s story when she threw her name into consideration on her Instagram Stories, saying Pennington shouldn’t be in the mix because of her loss to Peña.
“Hey @aliabdelaziz and @kaylaharrisonofficial we can do this,” Dumont posted late Thursday. “I hope they don’t accept a fight for the interim belt with an athlete who is coming off a defeat to Juliana. I am the athlete with the longest streak in the category and the only one who has the physical and technical capacity to overcome it. And you know it! So we’re going to have a really interesting fight for the bantamweight category.”
