Julianna Peña says going to Utah early to prep for UFC 307 unnecessary

Julianna Pena didn’t see a necessity in having to acclimate to Utah’s elevation prior to UFC 307.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) plans on arriving to Salt Lake City Monday for her bantamweight title fight against champion Raquel Pennington (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC), which co-headlines Saturday’s event at Delta Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

Peña says after competing in each Utah and Colorado before – that are each known for his or her high elevation, she realized that arriving weeks before is unnecessary. She is confident in her cardio, and thinks getting there on fight week is enough for her to get adjusted.

“We’re leaving on Monday,” Peña told MMA Junkie. “I even have fought in Utah before. I even have fought in Denver before. I do know that after I went out to Denver three weeks early pondering that the elevation was this gigantic thing that I needed to get prepared for, I remember going on the market and after I got my first cardio session done, I used to be like, ‘I’m not respiration hard. Nothing’s modified. What do you mean?’

“My strength coach was like, ‘I told you we didn’t need to return out here early. In the event you’re in shape, you’re in shape.’ I’ll be there Monday, and I’ll acclimate. I’ll have the entire week to acclimate, and if you happen to’re in shape, you’re in shape, and you’ve gotten done your work and done your job, then that’s the arrogance you would like. I do know that I even have that mat time and all of the arrogance on the earth so far as ensuring that I’m working hard, in order that’s all that matters.”

Peña takes on former Season 18 “Ultimate Fighter” castmate Pennington, whom she someway never crossed paths with. She gave Pennington credit, but is confident wherever the fight goes.

“Her strengths are her strength,” Peña said. “She may be very physically strong, got a solid base and really technically sound. I feel that she throws the 1s and 2s very sharp, so that will be her strengths. Her nice and crisp punches and her strength is a strength for her. … I need to have a look at the pyramid the wrong way up, and there’s not only one technique to win. I need to be working from a basic thing and sticking to the fundamentals, allowing it to open up alternative ways that I can get the job done.

“So wherever the fight goes, I’m ready and I’m confident. I feel like I can win on the feet. I feel like I can win on the bottom. I feel like I can win by submission. I feel like I can win by decision. I even have not closed myself off to 1 specific way or one specific avenue. I need to depart my brain and my mind to winning in several alternative ways. Whatever presents itself, I’ll find a way to capitalize on.”

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