UFC women’s bantamweight Julianna Pena is aware of the controversy caused by her recent comment toward ex-champ Ronda Rousey. She’s both regretful and defiant about her choice of words.

In an interview with TMZ, Pena said Rousey is “like the emperor and no clothes. She’s broken a little bit. I just think no one really cares about Ronda Rousey and her fat arms anymore. But I guess some people do.”

Pena’s use of the word fat drew immediate criticism from MMA observers who accused her of “fat shaming” the ex-champ, who’s spoken openly about her struggle with body issues and bulimia.

Pena (8-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) today told MMAjunkie that she once struggled with weight issues, and while it isn’t her intention to fat shame anyone, she said her comments came out of frustration about being repeatedly asked by the media about Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and her still-undefined career plans.

“I’m not trying to body shame her – I’m just sick of them asking me whether she’s in training or not training, or if she’s on a movie set, or if she’s having babies,” Pena said. “At this point, my Ronda meter is set. I’m done. I’m over it.

“And for the record, we are in the fight business, OK? I need to pick up fights. I need to pick up the best possible fights for me, and Ronda’s been needing an ass-kicking from me for a while. We’re not talking about puppies here. I’m not in the puppies business. My job is to hurt people, and I want to hurt Ronda Rousey, and that’s all it comes down to.”

“I still haven’t found the correct way to deliver it to make it sound nice. But I know what I mean, I mean what I say, and I don’t play back seat very well, if you couldn’t tell.”

Pena, who’s won four straight UFC fights and previously called out Rousey, said fans might also be forgetting she and “Rowdy” aren’t exactly the best of friends. Once a member of Miesha Tate’s team opposite Rousey on “The Ultimate Fighter 18,” she said the women’s MMA star once told her she didn’t deserve to breathe the same air.

“I think a lot of people have forgotten how rude and how much of a bitch she was to me on the show and the way that she treated me personally,” Pena said. “Those are things that I don’t forget. She’s disrespected me, and she’s disrespected my coach on the show. They ask about her all the time – ‘is she coming back, is she coming back’ – and I don’t know. But I would love to introduce her back into the division if she is, because that’s been a fight that I’ve been trying to get for many years now.”

That’s the message Pena said she wanted to convey when she made her comment about Rousey. Instead, she came off as mean-spirited, in the process undermining previous interviews in which she championed women in the UFC.

“I think it was the wrong choice of words,” she said. “What was in my head didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted it to through the media. I’m not trying to call her a fat person – I was basically commenting on how the media is always asking about her, whether she’s training or not, whether she’s coming back or not, whether she’s having that giant’s babies or not, and it’s so annoying at this point that I’m just like, forget about it. The buzz has died.

“I’m just saying the things that sometimes I feel these people are thinking. And the truth of the matter is, UFC, I’m sorry, she’s just not that into you. I am into the UFC, and I want to fight for the belt. This chick is standing in my way and teasing everyone whether she’s coming back or not, so I’ve had enough. I’ve literally had it up to here with this chick.”

Often, bad blood translates to a booked fight. But Pena, the No. 4 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s bantamweight rankings, is uncertain as to what’s next for her career. Current women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has called for her to face the surging Valentina Shevchenko in a title eliminator. But if she could call her shot, a fight with Rousey would be the best option.

“If they don’t want me to fight for the title, why not let me fight Ronda?” Pena said. “Why don’t they let a girl who’s coming off a loss fight a girl who’s never been beaten in the octagon? Why does she automatically jump ahead and get a title shot? Either let me fight Ronda, or let me fight for the title. Or she fights for the title and then has to fight me. I’m the real champ anyway, so why don’t they fight it out and come see me when they’re done?”

Rousey’s return is far from set in stone, of course. Since a knockout loss to Holly Holm this past November, her timeline for a return has been pushed back on multiple occasions. When she and the UFC decide to finalize a date, though, there will be no shortage of fighters waiting to meet her. At that point, Pena might have to make an exception for her favorite topic.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.