Congratulations to Julianna Pena, fifth woman to hold the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title.
Looking forward, the new champ can almost certainly expect to meet Nunes again in her next bout, and in the immediate aftermath of UFC 269, both women verbally acknowledged that reality and appeared to welcome it. Whichever woman emerges victorious from that rematch — or trilogy — will have to wait and see who steps up as a worthy next challenger. If Pena secures her hold on the belt by beating Nunes again, there is no shortage of future matchups, as longtime contenders including Raquel Pennington and Germaine de Randamie — who defeated Pena just last year — stand ready. If Nunes shows that Saturday was a fluke, on the other hand, she may need to wait for some of the division’s younger up-and-comers, such as Macy Chiasson and Karol Rosa, to string together enough wins to make a title shot sellable.
Here is the nine-year history of the UFC women’s bantamweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. It tells the story of some of the most dominant champions the sport has ever seen, but also some of the greatest upsets: a place where the head that wears the crown can truly never rest easy.
Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration