The quarterfinal round of The Ultimate Fighter 18: “Team Rousey vs Team Tate” kicked off with a significant upset tonight. In a battle between each team’s first picks, Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña secured a big win for Team Tate by submitting Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler.
Peña held her own on the ground against the submission specialist in the opening round and she appeared to be the fresher fighter heading into the second stanza. After scoring a takedown, Peña transitioned to Baszler’s back and locked on a rear-naked choke that forced the veteran to submit.
Peña landed a nice flurry early in the bout, but Baszler wasted no time in taking the fight to the mat. Peña defended well against a rear-naked choke attempt and scrambled back to her feet. Baszler countered a Peña takedown by locking on a rear crucifix as the fighters rolled to the ground. She let it go and took Peña down into side control soon after. Peña swept and postured up with some solid ground and pound, but Baszler tripped her again with an ankle pick and finished the round on top.
Both fighters appeared to be breathing heavily between rounds, but Peña came out aggressively in the second round with a right hook and an uppercut. Baszler answered back with a knee and the fighters exchanged power punches. Baszler clinched against the fence, but Peña reversed and landed knees to the thigh and face. She took a bloodied Baszler down and quickly moved to back control. Peña then transitioned from a neck crank to a rear-naked choke. She flattened her opponent out and Baszler was forced to tap at the 3:08 mark of round two.
With tonight’s upset win, Team Tate obtained control of the next fight pick. Coach Miesha Tate matched up Chris Holdsworth against Team Rousey representative Chris Beal. That bout will take place next Wednesday night during TUF 18 Episode 3.
(Photo Credit: UFC)
Baszler was unbelievably arrogant, understimated Julianna and was destroyed standing.
Well deserved loss, and Julianna, who is a lot smaller than Baszler, has a fan in me now.
I am rooting for Team Tate at this point.
Julianna beat that bully she man ass! LOVE IT! Go Julie!
I’ve been a fan of Shayna Baszler for a long time, but I agree, she was way too arrogant and took her opponent lightly. Excellent submission victory.
So far, best season of TUF in years.
Braszler acted like she is Fedor or some other legend. She is a borderline top 10 fighter and usually lost to better fighters. She fought on Invicta cards that maybe 2,000 people bought. What right did she have to be arrogant? Pena killed her standing up. So glad this new breed is beating the old guard. Except for Roxy. Always root for Roxy.
Unbelievable!!!! Like many.., I thought Baszler was going to give a beat down on this poor pretty little Latina chick… Man was I so wrong!!! Julianna cracked Baszler a good one right from the beginning… Then when the first round was over, I said to myself “well at least Julianna made it thought the first round she’s making it a good respectable fight”. Then the second round came and Baszler was up against the fence and sucking wind bloody nose, jaw dropped I began to believe Julianna.., I was screaming at the TV for Julianna to get her hooks in when she unbelievably took Baszler’ s back… Then I thought rear naked choke..? OMG no freakin way, Julianne’s going for the choke, I thought Julianna doesn’t have the strength to choke Baszler out??? Then I saw Baszler grimis with pain as Pena applied the choke… Baszler then gives the subtle tap… Get the hell outta here! No freakin way, utter jaw dropping shock…!!! Yes, I felt that Baszler was way too arrogant and a lesson learned on always respecting and never underestimating your opponent matter what resume you have. Julianna fantastic win BABY!!! Awesome display of tenacity and shear will power, I am a believer and now a Pena fan!!!
I agree that it was great to watch someone so arrogant and cocky get beat. I loved seeing that. I also love that Julianna enjoys being feminine and all girl until she gets in the octagon. I wish her the best. She was great.
“Pena doesn’t deserve to breath the same as air as me. She doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring as me. She shouldn’t fight me – she should attend one of my fighting seminars. Here’s the queens of hearts card, get ready to lose.” These are all the words spoken by Shayna Baszler before her TUF fight. In 21 years of closely following the UFC, I’ve never seen a more pompous, haughty, disrespectful, arrogant, vain, conceited, self-important, condescending fighter than Baszler. Well, at least she can back up this bravado by winning, right? WRONG! She got destroyed in the ring by a far less experienced fighter in Pena. What a truly disgusting, unlikable person Baszler proved herself to be. A loudmouth, condescending fool with absolutely nothing to back it up. Is there a worse kind of athlete? She then has the audacity after the fight to question why she didn’t win because she was “three times the fighter Pena is.” Does this woman’s reality-disconnected mouth ever shut up? Hey Shayna, here’s some advice: 1) Go talk to true champions (not loudmouth losers like yourself) such as GSP or Junior Dos Santos. 2) Learn humility and respect for other fighters and the sport. 3) Take what little money you have left in your fight purse and get those revolting teeth fixed – yuck. Do these things because as of now, you are the complete package of has-been, deluded loser. Better yet, don’t do any of these things and just go back to teaching your “fighting seminars.” Because those that can fight, and those that can’t (like you) teach.
Well said, Dan Meyers!
I’ve never seen anyone as arrogant, disrespectful, condescending and cocky as Shayna Baszler. And she has NO heart.
I used to be a fan. Now, I want her away.
She lost fair and square to a younger, less experienced and MUCH smaller fighter (Julianna is a natural flyweight).
And she said she destroyed Julianna in the first round. Well, she didn’t. It was close. She outwrestled Julianna, but she did NO damage. Lay and pray at its finest. Julianna won the striking exchange easily and also g’n’p’ed her. That’s how she broke Shayna mentally.
When you think she will explain her arrogance was pure editing, she posts the most self-absorbed blog ever, and just makes her look worse.
Being humbled physically and mentally in the cage was not enough to make her veer from her Ego trip.
Even though Baszler is delusional(Queens Army?) and comes off terribly, she will probably fight on the TUF final and get a UFC deal. You know UFC wants rematch. This fight with her and Pena was the most discussed WMMA fight ever next to Rousey’s debut. Even the numerous WMMA haters were talking about it. That is the difference between doing something in Strikeforce/Invicta and the major league UFC.