UFC bantamweight queen Julianna Pena has suggested that Covid is a 'money grab' and a plot to 'kill us' during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The 'Venezuelan Vixen' became the ruler of the 135lbs division at the end of 2021 by submitting former two-weight class ruler Amanda Nunes in one of MMA's greatest upsets.
Currently the flavor of the month, Pena was invited onto Rogan's show this week and revealed that two of his episodes featuring doctors giving anti-mainstream pandemic theories helped form views that were a little out there even for Rogan himself.
"I listened to [your] podcast with the two doctors, back-to-back – Robert Malone and [Peter McCullough]. I mean, that was eye-opening for me," Pena explained to Rogan.
"I’m a massive conspiracy theorist on this whole thing, and I have been since the very beginning. I’m like, ‘This is just a money grab. This is – they’re trying to kill us, and this is ridiculous.'"
"Whoa. I don’t think they’re trying to kill us," Rogan replied.
"I think there’s a lot of confusion as far as what works and what doesn’t work. … Reality is, there’s a lot of people scared and a lot of confusion, and there’s also a lot of people that don’t want people discussing things.
"They only want one narrative, and that’s where it becomes a problem for me," the pundit pointed out.
As Dr. Malone's appearance led to nearly 300 doctors, physicians and scientists signing a letter urging rights-owners Spotify to crack down on Covid misinformation across the streaming platform, cardiologist Dr. McCullough said the pandemic was planned and that Covid vaccines are merely experimental.
McCullough is also an advocate for people to refuse to be vaccinated, and while Pena did not reveal her vaccine status, she contracted Covid in November 2020 and claims to be opposed to mask-wearing mandates.
"To me, I don’t put on a mask unless somebody asks me," she said.
"And then I’m like, ‘That’s over. Come on.’ … This is ridiculous. I’m sick of this. I’m so sick of it," she insisted.
While Pena and Nunes are tipped to become rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter ahead of a rematch later this year, Pena has suggested that Ronda Rousey could be her next foe if the Brazilian doesn't step up to the plate.
“She really had a tough time getting along with me on The Ultimate Fighter,” Pena said of Rousey on the show she became the first female winner of in 2013.
"She didn’t like me at all because I was friends with Miesha Tate. She wasn’t the nicest. It would be amazing to pull Ronda Rousey back out of retirement. It would be great to have her come back to UFC and fight again."
For Pena, however, Nunes simply can't pull out of a second showdown if she cares about her legacy.
"Well, somebody suggested: ‘Well, what if she doesn’t decide to take the fight with you, and decides to take an easier fight at ’45 [featherweight], and retires off into the sunset?’" Pena said to Rogan.
"Like, she can’t. She can’t do that. She would look like the biggest coward on earth," Pena concluded.