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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. A professional competitor since 2014, Peña competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(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, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

stationed in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Italy, but was adopted at a young age by a

Latino-American Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...

couple. He grew up beginning his wrestling career at

Little Rock Central High School Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) 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 Littl ...

, 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 serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

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 currently competing in the Featherweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2016, Trizano was the winner o ...

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 an American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson currently competes in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2010, Peterson ha ...

on March 23, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 148 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 148'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 23, 2019 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville ...

. 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 Matthew Charles Wimanhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2011%20Results%20Web/07-02-11%20MMA.pdf (born September 19, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed as a lightweight. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background ...

on June 22, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 12. 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. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also competed for th ...

on October 12, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 19. 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 in ...

. 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. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Peña faced

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

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, kickboxers, ...

on September 3, 2020 after he tested positive for

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. 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 Don 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, ...

, replacing Jai Herbert, 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 UF ...

. 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 a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Peña faced Alexander Munoz on April 17, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 22 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 22'' and ''UFC Vegas 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 17, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpr ...

. 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 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.

Legal troubles

June 2021

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

battery Battery 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 *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

, 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 decided not to press charges.

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; court date to be determined.

November 2021

On November 24, 2021, Peña was arrested by Florida police officers, facing four misdemeanors charges including battery, criminal mischief, battery causing bodily harm, and touching or striking battery or domestic violence. 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. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2020 ...

. Peña had a court date currently scheduled for April 8, with the hearing taking place via Zoom and will involve a determination of counsel hearing. In June 2022 news surfaced that the case was disposed without further information.

Mixed martial arts record

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Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

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Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which is home to approximately six million people. History Miramar wa ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city'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 ...

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Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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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