Like Dricus Du Plessis, Miesha Tate thinks Julianna Pena’s striking is more effective than people give her credit for.
Peña (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) co-main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Peña was one of Tate’s first female training partners in Washington, so the pair go way back. Tate also coached both Peña and Pennington during Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which Peña won. Although Peña is known more for her ground game, Tate says her striking can’t be underestimated.
“I think Julianna’s striking is extremely underrated,” Tate told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think her striking is actually very effective – people just don’t understand it. It’s kind of like (Dricus Du Plessis). I think a lot of people look at him, and they don’t really respect his striking, either. I draw some similarities in their striking.
“(Julianna), when she hits you, it’s not a snapping punch. It’s like a joust. You’ve seen those guys that run at each other on horses (with) the jousting sticks? People don’t realize how hard she hits until they get hit by (her). We saw that happen when she took out Amanda (Nunes). Her boxing might not be traditional, but that’s also a benefit.”
Tate is familiar with Pennington’s game, too. She also compared her style to another current UFC champion.
“She’s such a clean, beautiful striker, and she’s very precise,” Tate said of Pennington. “Her defense is so good. I actually liken her style to Valentina Shevchenko. If you think about it, stylistically, they’re pretty similar. They have good bases, and they never overreact.
“Valentina Shevchenko never overextends, Raquel never overextends. They’re both primarily counter strikers, so they look for somebody to make a mistake. They’re great at parrying punches, they have great head movement, they have very technical boxing.”
Tate thinks the outcome of Pennington vs. Peña will come down to will. She pointed to Pennington’s durability, and Peña’s kill attitude, which often leaves her open. Despite Peña’s strong ground game, Tate advises Pennington to be the one on the offensive when it comes to grappling.
“I bet we see Raquel shooting doubles, because I think she would be wise to realize that if (Julianna) gets on top first – anybody’s in trouble under (Julianna),” Tate said. “I honestly think if she gets a good position, she’s going to suck the life out of you there.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Raquel, as she’s becoming more aggressive and more well-rounded, she’s going to try and get on top first so that she hopefully doesn’t have to deal with the onslaught of (Julianna). That’s what I think her mentality would be.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
