Julianna Peña recalls getting "eye swollen shut for three days" after fighting 6'3" man at old job: "Learned my lesson"

Julianna Peña is one of the toughest women's MMA fighters in the world. So tough that she once fought a man, which she has come to regret, saying as much during a recent appearance on the OverDogs Podcast ahead of her UFC 316 co-main event against Kayla Harrison.

The incident occurred years ago, when Peña worked as a server during the early days of her MMA career. She found herself in a physical altercation with a man who worked as the line cook at her place of employment. Recalling the incident, Peña said:

"I went into the back alley while I was serving, and I fought the line cook. Going at each other for a long time, a long story, he dropped me three times. I got dropped, I popped right back up. I went at him again, he dropped me again. I had my eye swollen shut for three days and 11 stitches in my eye. I thought that I could fight a man. I don't have an ego to be like, 'I could beat a man.' I learned my lesson."

Check out Julianna Peña's account of fighting a man (0:29):

Peña is no stranger to altercations outside the cage. Back in 2015, she was charged with assault after having a physical altercation with staff members at a bar in Spokane, Washington. It marked her as one of several UFC fighters who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

That grit and toughness have served her well inside the octagon, though, as she has since become a two-time UFC women's bantamweight champion.

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Julianna Peña is set to defend her women's bantamweight title

Julianna Peña is gearing up to defend her women's bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison in the co-main event at UFC 316. The bout is of extreme importance to both women, as it is not just a championship bout made personal by trash talk, but it is also a massive opportunity.

That opportunity is a fight against the great Amanda Nunes, who has announced her return to fighting and is eager to reclaim her women's bantamweight throne. Peña, who has fought Nunes twice, is determined to get the trilogy.