When Julianna Peña walked into the Octagon at UFC 316, few knew what she was truly carrying into that fight. It wasn’t just the pressure of defending her title or her war of words with Kayla Harrison during the buildup. Behind her bravado and the fire in her eyes lay a body that had legit broken down. Looking back, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ accepts she wasn’t herself that night—not even close. But despite everything, she showed up.

The majority of fans attributed Harrison’s second-round submission win to her dominance. However, Julianna Peña has now revealed that the real reason behind her loss was that she was suffering from some severe injuries. “It wasn’t a good camp for me,” she admitted on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“I was going into the fight with a pretty severe handicap.” So, what were these injuries? A broken thumb. A torn elbow. Bone chips. Each injury took its toll, yet she never gave up. “It crossed my mind [to withdraw],” she says, “but I knew I was going to be able to push through.” What really stung? The fact that ‘Doug’ secured the kimura on the same arm she had injured weeks before.

The damage did not end there. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ also cracked her thumb while sparring in early May, causing it to swell like “someone hit her in the hand with a hammer.” Then she suffered a horrific fall inside the cage, injuring her elbow and chipping the bone.

“I wasn’t able to straighten or bend my arm fully,” she told Helwani. “Going into a fight 10 days out, it’s just excruciating and very painful. Hard to throw a punch and extend.” The limitations were real. The agony, undeniable. And the worst part? She didn’t realize how serious it was until after the fight had been scheduled and the camp had begun.

Peña does not look back with regret. “I put in too much time,” she explained. “I’ve taken away too much time from other people—my daughter, my coaches, their families.” However, when she thinks about the fight and the result, she does express some sadness.

With five seconds left in the round, she tapped out. The same broken arm was locked in Kayla Harrison‘s kimura. “It’s humiliating, embarrassing, and sucks,” she stated bluntly. Well, now that she has lost the title, what’s next for her? ‘Doug’ is busy preparing for a fight against Amanda Nunes, so where does Peña stand now?

UFC legend suggests major change for Julianna Peña

Julianna Peña’s title reign is over, and her body is still recovering, sparking doubts about her next step. Some of the speculation has come from within the sport itself. Former UFC referee John McCarthy was candid on his podcast Weighing In, offering not only insight but also a recommendation.

McCarthy suggests that if Peña wants to keep her name alive in title contention, she might need to start cutting weight—a lot of it. McCarthy acknowledged a long-held belief among fans: Peña may be undersized for the bantamweight division. “I’ve always thought she is small for the bantamweights,” he said, comparing her size to Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison.

His advice? A permanent switch to flyweight. “At 135, I look and I go, alright, who is there for you to fight?” he asked, suggesting that 125 might provide her a new start—and a far more level playing field. While McCarthy’s theory appears to make sense on paper, the numbers reveal a more complicated story.

‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has established her entire UFC identity at bantamweight, winning The Ultimate Fighter, defeating Nunes in one of the most shocking upsets in MMA history, and briefly reclaiming the title. Still, with only two wins in her last four fights and most competitors either unproven or uninterested, the road to 135-lb appears long and winding.

A move to flyweight may lead the UFC to lose further interest in her if she gets another L at the new weight class. But what do you think? Should Julianna Peña take the leap of faith? Let us know in the comments.