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Pena would fight friend Tate for title

Troy Taormina / USA TODAY

Julianna Pena is on the fast track to the top of the women's bantamweight division, and waiting there is friend and former coach Miesha Tate.

"The Venezuelan Vixen" has made her championship aspirations clear ever since she blew through Jessica Rakoczy to become the first female winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" in November 2013.

That mission was a lot more appealing when Ronda Rousey held the belt, and Pena made a point of challenging Rousey after defeating Jessica Eye last October for her third straight UFC win.

The 135-pound title now sits around the waist of Tate, the fighter who guided Pena through the "TUF" tournament. Pena was Tate's No. 1 pick on the show and they'd had a good relationship long before that.

In an appearance on "TUF Talk" Wednesday, Pena indicated she and Tate have agreed to put friendship aside for business should they win their respective fights with Cat Zingano and Amanda Nunes at UFC 200.

"Me and Miesha have discussed fighting each other. We said the only way we would fight each other is if her or I had the belt," said Pena, according to Damon Martin of FOX Sports. "Now that she has the belt and I get my hand raised be it July 9, I will ask for a title shot. I only think that that's right.

"I'm sure she will accept, be it that she wins, which I'm sure she will."

Pena's resume would be more robust were it not for a knee injury that put her out of action for 14 months. As it stands, she feels she's done more than enough to establish herself as a legitimate championship threat.

"I definitely think so," said Pena. "I beat everybody that they put in front of me, from all those girls on 'The Ultimate Fighter' to everybody they've put in front of me since. No one else has been on that big of a win streak besides Ronda and I think that I definitely have earned getting a title shot."

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