Norma Dumont: Julianna Peña's UFC title shot 'a slap in the face of the division'

Norma Dumont does not think Julianna Pena deserves a UFC title shot.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) on Oct. 5 in the UFC 307 co-headliner in Salt Lake City. Peña hasn’t competed since losing her title to Amanda Nunes in a lopsided decision loss at UFC 277 in July 2022.

“It was really a slap on the face of the entire division,” Dumont told MMA Mania through an interpreter. “Julianna, who hasn’t really won any fights, hasn’t fought in so long, and even she beat Amanda in a day that Amanda just wasn’t Amanda. She just wasn’t there, and then on the other fight, she got the full beating, three nights of beatings worth in one night.

“That was the real Julianna right there. Then she comes back after two-and-a-half years of running away from any fight offered to her to then be given a gift and fighting for the belt. So, yeah, it’s not good. It’s a slap in the face of the division but also not the first time that it has happened.”

Dumont (11-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will look to enter the title picture when she meets former title challenger Irene Aldana (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) on Sept. 14 at UFC 306 from Sphere in Las Vegas.

She picks Pennington to retain her title against Peña.

“I think Raquel wins this fight, not because I think she is a dominant champion, because I don’t think that,” Dumont said. “But I just think Julianna is just that bad. I mean, she got submitted by Germaine (de Randamie). I mean, come on. It’s weird to say Raquel is going to win something, but I think she wins this one.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.