Julianna Pena says she won’t allow losing her most high-profile fight to date to derail her career.

Pena (8-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered a second-round submission loss to Valentina Shevchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in this past weekend’s UFC on FOX 23 headliner, causing her to miss out on the next title shot against reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.

Prior to the fight Pena had claimed she was in the midst of a run that was going to take over the 135-pound division for a long time to come. Clearly that’s not how reality unfolded, but “The Venezuelan Vixen” labeled it a learning experience in her first social media post since fight night.

“So, so sorry about my loss you guys,” Pena wrote. “Too hungry. At this level of competition you cannot make the first mistake or you pay the price. This is a big time learning experience for me. Time to move forward though. I take one look in the past and then I turn around and keep it pushing toward the future.”

Although Pena was oozing with confidence going into the bout after winning “The Ultimate Fighter 18” and starting her UFC career with four-straight wins, she was soundly beaten when Shevchenko caught her in an armbar during the latter portion of the second round.

It was Pena’s first taste of defeat since February 2013, and while difficult to digest, she said she’s come to the realization that every athlete – not just in MMA – deals with hardship.

“Michael Jordan missed shots and even the best MMA fighters have tasted defeat at some point in their career,” Pena stated. “My character is not defined by my wins and losses nor are they contingent on the amount of love I receive from those who truly matter to me.”

With Shevchenko expected to challenge Nunes for the belt later this year, Pena did not reveal what could be next for her. She did not name any potential opponents or list a desired return date. What she did do, though, is thank her supporters and promise to come back with a force.

Read Pena’s full post-fight statement below.

https://www.facebook.com/jnpena1/posts/10207732790509450

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 23, check out the UFC Events section of the site.