UFC Ultimate Fighter 18 winner Julianna Pena has not been seen in the Octagon since a loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC On Fox 23.
The fighter has since become a mother, giving birth in to a baby girl in January 2018, but now has her eyes set on returning to the Octagon in 2019.
“I’m in the midst of figuring that out,” Pena said on The MMA Hour. “I’m in my hometown getting evaluated and I’ll be leaving here on Wednesday and hopefully by the end of that time my coach will have an answer for me as to when I can take a fight again and get back in fight camp. But 2019 for sure.”
Pena is still ranked #4 in the women’s bantamweight division, despite not having fought in almost two years.
While Pena is anticipating a return to action next year, one thing she isn’t worried about is who that return bout is going to be against.
“I’m not thinking [of an opponent],” said Pena. “I’m just thinking about when I’ll be healthy and ready to compete and I’ll be ready to get into fight camp. The opponents will come later.”
There are only three fighters ranked ahead of Pena at the moment, with those competitors being Ketlen Vieira, Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie.
