Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña returns to action in her home state of Washington later this month in the main event of Conquest of the Cage 11. The unbeaten 22-year-old faces off against Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras on the April 19th card in Airway Heights. The bout was announced today.
Peña was originally in talks to face Brazilian prospect Claudia Gadelha for Freedom Fight on April 21st, but that event was scrapped this week. Peña will likely battle Gadelha at an event to be determined later this year, but must first get past Moras, who has won both of her MMA bouts to date.
Peña (3-0-0) opened her pro career with a pair of victories in 2009, but a serious knee injury kept her on the sidelines for over two years. She made her long-awaited return to competition at a Conquest of the Cage event in December and submitted Canadian Rachael Swatez early in the second round, becoming the first woman to ever finish Swatez in the process. The SikJitsu representative’s three pro wins have all come inside the distance. Peña was scheduled to travel to Alaska to face Lauren “All-In” Taylor in February, but was forced out of the bout due to injuries sustained when she was struck by a drunk driver. Peña recently resumed training and will face a solid test in her first fight of 2012.
Moras (1-0-0) began her mixed martial arts career under “semi-pro” rules in England and submitted Clarissa Thompson at a March 2010 KAYO MMA event. She made her professional debut two months later at Cage Warriors 37 and defeated Helena Martin via second-round TKO. Moras later relocated from Manchester all the way to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. She now fights out of Toshido Mixed Martial Arts, the camp that produced current UFC welterweight standout Rory “Ares” MacDonald. Like Peña last year, Moras now returns to competition for the first time in nearly two years, but she will look to upset the hometown favourite when she travels to Peña’s home state.
Conquest of the Cage 11 takes place on April 19th at Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Washington. The bout between Peña and Moras headlines the card and is expected to be contested at a catchweight of 140 pounds.
Tim Peterson contributed to this report.
(Photo Credit: Fightergirls.com)