Ultimate Fighter 18 winner Julianna Pena is now eligible to return to the UFC after she came to a resolution on her legal issue with the Prosecutor’s Office in Spokane, Washington.
The announcement of Pena being able to return to competition in the UFC was announced by the promotion on Monday. The complete statement from the UFC is below and states that Pena will take part in counseling as a stipulation of her ability to return to the UFC.
UFC announced today that an investigation into allegations of assault by UFC competitor Julianna Pena is now complete. Pena recently came to a resolution with the Prosecutor’s Office in Spokane County, Washington. The resolution was thoroughly reviewed by Campbell & Williams, a Las Vegas-based law firm hired by UFC to oversee its investigation into the matter.
UFC elected not to schedule Pena for a bout while the legal proceedings were ongoing. Now that the matter has been resolved, Pena is eligible to return to competition in the UFC and will be scheduled for a bout in the near future.
While UFC is supportive of the resolution of Pena’s criminal matter, Pena acknowledges that her actions as a professional athlete should reflect well of her, the sport of mixed martial arts, and the UFC. Consequently, Pena has volunteered to participate in counseling as a condition for her return to the Octagon.
Pena (7-2) is currently ranked number five in the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings and has gone 3-0 since entering the promotion during The Ultimate Fighter 18.