Peña’s 2024 Plan for Two More UFC Fights
In a November 2024 interview, Julianna Peña said she expected to have about two more fights before stepping away from MMA. The remark was a personal estimate, not a retirement announcement or a fixed date. It also came just weeks after she regained the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
The two-fight estimate
Peña made the comment after a long stretch away from competition. At UFC 307 on October 5, 2024, she returned and defeated Raquel Pennington by split decision to become a two-time champion. The win put her back in the title picture, and she had publicly discussed a possible trilogy with Amanda Nunes as well as the growing challenge from Kayla Harrison.
Her 2024 remark was framed as a rough horizon for her career. It did not establish that she would retire after a particular opponent, or that the decision was specifically a response to injury.
A title loss, then a new competition
Peña’s next UFC appearance came against Harrison at UFC 316 on June 7, 2025. Harrison submitted her with a kimura in the second round and took the bantamweight championship. That was Peña’s latest MMA bout as of October 2026.
Peña has not announced that she has retired from MMA. On October 12, 2026, Real American Freestyle announced that she will make her wrestling debut at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14, facing Diana Avsaragova. The match marks a return to competition after a 17-month layoff, but it is a wrestling booking rather than a UFC fight.
Her timeline remains her own
Peña’s two-fight estimate should be read as what she thought in late 2024, before the Harrison title fight and the subsequent break from MMA. Her scheduled wrestling appearance shows she is still competing, but does not tell us whether or when she plans to return to the UFC. A future retirement decision remains hers to announce.
