“The Venezuelan Vixen” will enter 2025 in possession of the 135-pound crown for the second time, having dethroned Raquel Pennington by contentious split decision at UFC 307 in October. Pena has pieced together a 4-2 record since she returned from pregnancy in 2019. She burst on the global scene a decade ago when she won Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
As Pena awaits word on her next assignment from UFC matchmakers, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied her to this point:
35: Years of age for Pena, who was born in Spokane, Washington, on Aug. 19, 1989. “Uncle Buck,” “Parenthood,” “The Abyss,” “Casualties of War” and “When Harry Met Sally …” were the Top 5 movies at the domestic box office at the time.
5: Pena wins by submission, accounting for 42% of her career total (12). Her methods of choice: three rear-naked chokes, one armbar and one guillotine choke. Pena holds three other wins by knockout or technical knockout (25%) and four more by decision (33%).
42: Rounds started by Pena as a professional mixed martial artist. She has involved the judges on six different occasions and carries a 4-2 record in those bouts.
92: Significant strikes landed by Pena in her aforementioned victory over Pennington. It established a new personal high-water mark for the Sikjitsu rep.
100,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Pena across her 11 appearances in the UFC. She has been awarded “Performance of the Night” twice.
1,748: Miles between where Pena trains at the VFS Academy in Chicago and Ultimate Fighting Championship headquarters in Las Vegas.
178: Seconds needed for Pena to put away Raylene Harvey with a rear-naked choke in her May 9, 2009 pro debut. More than 15 years later, it remains her fastest finish to date.
18: Takedowns completed by Pena as a UFC women’s bantamweight, tying her with Miesha Tate for fourth on the promotion’s all-time list at 135 pounds. Only Nunes (32), Sara McMann (27) and Ailin Perez (20) have secured more.
5: Organizations for which Pena has worked. She has gone 8-3 in the UFC, 1-1 in Conquest of the Cage, 1-0 in ExciteFight, 1-0 in International Fighting Championship, 1-0 in CageSport and 0-1 in Showdown fights.
.716: Cumulative winning percentage between the five women—Amanda Nunes, Germaine de Randamie, Valentina Shevchenko, DeAnna Bennett and Sarah Moras—who have beaten Pena. They sport a combined record of 77-30-2.