Julianna Pena Agrees to Counseling, Will Have UFC Return Bout Scheduled in ‘Near Future’

Julianna Pena is now eligible to return to the Octagon after the promotion concluded its third-party investigation into assault allegations against the UFC bantamweight.

“The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner has agreed to participate in counseling in order to resume her career and is expected to have a fight booked in the “near future,” according to a statement released by the promotion on Monday.

UFC announced [Monday] 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 was accused of allegedly kicking two men in the groin following a bar fight in Spokane, Wash., late last year. Pena claimed that she was attempting to get help for training partner Josh Gow, who was bleeding from an earlier altercation. Pena allegedly became angry when she and Gow were not granted entry into the bar and that’s when the alleged incident occurred.

MMAFighting.com recently reported that Pena was granted a stipulation order of continuance in her assault case, meaning the charges will be dismissed if she avoids further incident over the course of the next year.

The 26-year-old known as “The Venezuelan Vixen” is 3-0 in the Octagon, including a unanimous decision triumph over Jessica Eye in her most recent outing at UFC 192 last October.