“Make Venezuela great again,” Julianna Peña Celebrates Nicolás Maduro’s Capture, Explains What The Country Needs Now
Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Venezuelan Vixen”Julianna Peña has publicly celebrated the January 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces, expressing optimism about the country’s democratic future while acknowledging her personal family connections to the nation.
“The Venezuelan Vixen,” whose father hails from Venezuela, used her platform to comment on Operation Absolute Resolve, the military operation that resulted in Maduro’s extraction from Caracas.
UFC Star Julianna Peña Weighs In on Nicolás Maduro’s Capture and What’s Next for Venezuela
The raid marked one of the most significant U.S. military interventions in Latin America since the Cold War. U.S. special forces breached Maduro’s compound after disabling air defenses, capturing both the president and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation resulted in an estimated 80 casualties, including 32 Cuban military and security personnel, before Maduro and Flores were flown to a U.S. warship and transported to New York to face charges. Maduro now faces narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons conspiracy charges in federal court.
“I think that the majority, maybe 90, 95% of Venezuelans are super stoked about this,” Peña explained, “They’re really excited, and they’re happy they’re no longer going to be an oppressed people and Venezuela will finally be free,” she stated.
The capture occurred amid widespread recognition that Maduro’s July 2024 election victory was fraudulent. International observers, the opposition, and documentation from polling stations confirmed that the opposition won with approximately 66% of the votes.
Peña spoke directly about the succession question, emphasizing support for opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. “She doesn’t have a choice. She doesn’t have a choice. But you know, María Corina Machado definitely should be the one taking that presidency. Everybody knows that Maduro was an illegitimate president. Nobody recognized him as the real president. His election was stolen, and he got in there just by fraud.”
Venezuela’s interim leadership fell to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, raising questions about whether real democratic transition would occur. The Trump administration said it would oversee the country until elections could be held, though the timeline and mechanisms remain unclear.
On Venezuela’s oil reserves, Peña acknowledged both the resource question and liberation concerns. “Better that they give [Oil] to us than give it over for free to China and all these other countries. That’s a piece of the ball game here, that’s not the whole ball game. The grand scheme of things is that Venezuela has been under oppression for many, many years. Personally, on my own personal side, I’ve had family that has gone through very serious, horrible, horrific things that you would never want to happen to anybody that you know. So I’m very happy for the people of Venezuela.”
Peña concluded by reaffirming her political alignment, stating, “And a lot of people know that I’m in support of Trump and that I’m more conservative-leaning, you know, but some people will just find anything and any reason to be upset. And I’ve got to say, Trump’s the man. That’s my president, and he’s here to make Venezuela great again.”
The capture initiated significant international debate over sovereignty and intervention, with the United Nations and European Union expressing concern about the legal implications. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains he remains Venezuela’s legitimate president.
