Luis Antonio Peña (born July 5, 1993) is an American former professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. A professional competitor since 2014, Peña competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), most notably being a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated season 27.

Early life

Luis was born to parents in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

stationed in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy, but was adopted at a young age by a Latino-American couple. He grew up beginning his wrestling career at

Little Rock Central High School Little Rock Central High School (LRCH) is an accredited comprehensive education, comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Secondary education in the United States, United States. The school was the Little ...

, becoming a well-known wrestler and claiming the state championship in the process.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Peña took his first amateur mixed martial arts fight on August 9, 2014. He fought Darian Bradshaw, and won the fight via submission in the second round. Peña finished his amateur career with a record of 15–2. He made his professional debut in 2016, against Chris Petty. He won via knockout.

The Ultimate Fighter

Peña competed for Team Cormier on The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated. He fought Jose Martinez Jr. on the third episode of the show, and won the fight via decision. Peña's run on the show was cut short, after suffering a foot injury during his quarterfinal fight. He was unable to fight for the rest of the show, but was guaranteed a spot on The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale card by UFC president

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

Ultimate Fighting Championships

Peña made his UFC debut on July 16, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale against Richie Smullen. He won the fight via a submission in round one. On November 10, 2018, Peña faced

Michael Trizano Michael Charles Trizano (born December 31, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2016, Trizano was the w ...

at UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez. He lost the fight via split decision. Peña faced

Steven Peterson Steven Timothy Peterson (born May 29, 1990) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since ...

on March 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 148. At the weigh-ins, Luis Peña weighed in at 148.5 lbs, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit of 146 lbs. Peña was fined 30% of his fight purse and the bout proceeded at catchweight. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Peña faced

Matt Wiman Matt Wiman (born September 19, 1983) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed as a lightweight. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Wiman graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2002. Mix ...

on June 22, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 12 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three. Peña faced

Matt Frevola Matthew Kenneth Frevola (born June 11, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed for the Wor ...

on October 12, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 19 ''UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 161'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 12, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, F ...

. He lost the fight via split decision. Peña was scheduled to face Alex Muñoz on February 29, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 169 ''UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 169'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 27'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 29, 2020 at Chartway Arena i ...

. However, on February 23, 2020, it was announced that Muñoz was pulled from the card due to injury, and he was replaced by

Steve Garcia Estevan Garcia Jr. (born May 22, 1992), known as Steve Garcia, is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has previously competed in Bellator's bant ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Peña faced

Khama Worthy Khama Worthy (born October 15, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2012, he has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), King of the Cage and CES MMA. B ...

on June 27, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. He lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round three. Peña was suspended four and a half months and fined 15% of his purse by the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxer ...

on September 3, 2020, after he tested positive for

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

. The suspension was cut from the usual six months due to him taking the fight against Worthy on short notice: marijuana is only considered illegal by USADA during the competition window for fights. It is retroactive to June 17, 2020, and he will be eligible to compete again on November 2, 2020. Peña was scheduled to face

Drakkar Klose Drakkar Klose (born March 9, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised alongside six other siblings in South Haven, Michigan, Klo ...

, replacing

Jai Herbert Jai Kyle Herbert (born 13 May 1988) is an English mixed martial artist who currently fights as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Cage Warriors lightweight champion and also competed in BAMMA. Background Her ...

, on February 20, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 185 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 185'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 43'' and ''UFC Vegas 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 20, 2021 at the UFC ...

. However, the bout was canceled after Klose's corner tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Peña faced Alexander Munoz on April 17, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 22 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He won the fight via split decision, with 11 out of 16 media scores giving it to Munoz. Following his October arrest, the UFC announced that Peña had been released from the UFC.

Post UFC

Peña announced that he had signed with ACA and would be competing in the ACA Lightweight Grand Prix, with his first bout being against

Eduard Vartanyan Eduard Vartanyan (born June 11, 1991) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). In July 2023, after he won the grand prix of Lightweight division of ACA, he reached #14 in ...

at ACA 139 on May 21, 2022. Pena would pull out of the bout due to having trouble securing a visa. Peña was instead booked against Zach Zane in a 160 lb catchweight bout as the main event of Titan FC 76 on May 6, 2022. He won the bout via triangle choke under a minute into the first round. Peña faced Gustavo Wurlitzer on June 3, 2022, at Titan FC 77. He won the bout at the end of the first round via TKO. Peña faced

Will Brooks Willie Love Brooks (born October 8, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he is the former Bellator MMA Lightweight World Champion, and has also competed for DRE ...

at XMMA 5 on July 23, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Peña faced Michael Dufort at Aries Fight Series 16 on April 22, 2023. He lost the bout via submission in the first round. Pena next fought Dedrek Sanders at Aries Fight Series 25 on April 6, 2024. He would snap his three fight losing streak beating Sanders via unanimous decision. Pena next fought John Simon at Cage Titans 67 on September 14, 2024. He would lose the fight via unanimous decision. Pena's next bout was against Zach DiSabatino at Cage Titans less than 2 months later on November 9, 2024. He would lose the fight via submission to an inverted triangle choke late in the third round. After the fight, Pena laid his gloves down in the middle of the cage, thus announcing his retirement and an end to his mixed martial arts career.

Boxing career

Peña faced Vaughn Alexander on May 12, 2017, he lost the bout via TKO in the third round. Peña faced Jarvis Williams on June 17, 2017, he lost the bout via Unanimous decision. Peña faced Erasmo Garcia on November 18, 2017, the bout was deemed a Majority draw after two of the three judges scored the bout 57-57. Peña faced Morgan Griggie on May 18, 2022, he lost the bout via Majority decision. Peña faced James Rodriguez on April 29, 2023, he lost the bout via Majority decision.

Legal troubles

June 2021

On June 18, 2021, Peña was arrested in Florida on charges of strong-arm robbery,

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

, and criminal mischief for an incident that allegedly took place on June 14, 2021. In early August 2021 news surfaced that Peña's charges had been downgraded to misdemeanor charges of simple battery and criminal mischief. He was, however, charged with another misdemeanor battery stemming from an incident that allegedly happened on May 22, 2021. However, his ex-girlfriend was not fully cooperative with the prosecution, leading to the charge being dismissed.

October 2021

On October 9, 2021, Peña was arrested by Florida police officers for domestic battery after he allegedly struck and bit his girlfriend. Peña also allegedly struck another woman who witnessed the assault when she tried to intervene. On June 10, 2022, Peña pleaded not guilty to the charges via a written plea. In July 2023, Peña announced on his social media that the case was completely dismissed by the court.

November 2021

On November 24, 2021, Peña was arrested in

Broward County, Florida Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...

on four misdemeanor charges including battery, criminal mischief, battery causing bodily harm, and domestic battery. He was booked into the Rein Detention Center in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale and 36 miles north of Miami. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part ...

. In June 2022, it was revealed that the case was disposed without further information.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–8 , Zach DiSabatino , Submission (inverted triangle choke) , Cage Titans 68 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:04 ,

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 , John Simon , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Titans 67 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–6 , Dedrek Sanders , Decision (unanimous) , Aries Fight Series 25 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–6 , Michael Dufort , Submission (guillotine choke) , Aries Fight Series 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 , LT Nelson , Decision (unanimous) , Sparta 95 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe, Adams County, Colorado, Adams, and Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas List of counties in Colorado, counti ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 ,

, Decision (split) , XMMA 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Gustavo Wurlitzer , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 77 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 ,

Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721, making it the fourth-largest city in Broward County, the sixth-largest cit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Zach Zane , Submission (triangle choke) , Titan FC 76 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Alexander Muñoz , Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:14 ,

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Richie Smullen , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Kobe Wall , Submission (kimura) , Conflict MMA 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statist ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Damir Ferhatbegovic , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Valor Fights 41 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:47 ,

Elizabethton, Tennessee Elizabethton () is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of ...

United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Brandon Schehl , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shamrock FC 279 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:40 ,

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Chris Petty , KO (punch) , Fight Hard MMA: Gwaltney vs. Futrell , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

, United States , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jose Martinez Jr. , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

Professional boxing record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peña, Luis 1993 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts 21st-century American sportsmen