UFC champion, Spokane native Julianna Peña alleges COVID-19 plot ‘to kill us’ on Joe Rogan podcast, frustrating health district

Spokane native Julianna Peña garnered worldwide attention when she upset Amanda Nunes in December, claiming the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight title. She made headlines again last week for her COVID-19 comments on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.

“I’m a massive conspiracy theorist on this whole thing and I have been since the very beginning,” Peña said. “I’m like, This is just a money grab. This is – they’re trying to kill us, you know, and this is ridiculous.”

Rogan quickly responded with, “Whoa.”

Rogan has come under fire for questioning COVID-19 vaccines on his popular podcast. Critics say Rogan, a comedian and mixed martial arts commentator, is spreading dangerous misinformation. But this time, it was Rogan who questioned someone’s take on the pandemic.

“I don’t think they’re trying to kill us,” Rogan said. “I think there’s a lot of confusion as far as what works and what doesn’t work.”

Peña told Rogan she tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020, according to a story by MMA Junkie. She did not reveal if she’s been vaccinated but did indicate she’s opposed to mask mandates.

“To me, I don’t put on a mask unless somebody asks me,” Peña said. “And then I’m like, ‘That’s over. Come on.’ … This is ridiculous. I’m sick of this. I’m so sick of it.”

The CDC says people older than 2 should wear a mask in indoor public settings if they are not fully vaccinated; fully vaccinated and in an area with substantial or high transmission; or fully vaccinated and with weakened immune systems. Certain states, including Washington, have mask mandates even if you are fully vaccinated.

The CDC says, in general, people do not need to wear a mask outside. However, in areas with high numbers of cases, the federal agency says to consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Peña did not respond to a message from The Spokesman-Review seeking comment.

Gonzaga basketball great John Stockton is another local who has expressed views against the grain of public health experts.

The private university recently suspended Stockton’s season tickets at home basketball games because the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame point guard failed to comply with the school’s mask mandate.

Spokane Regional Health District spokesperson Kelli Hawkins said public figures like Peña and Stockton have a larger platform, but the primary threat is the misinformation that exists in the first place.

“You’re talking about individuals with a louder voice, but really the main culprit here is misinformation and that is undermining our efforts,” Hawkins said.

She said misinformation is causing confusion and mistrust. The first step is understanding the source of information and its intent.

It’s important for the district to help people understand where to find credible resources and get correct information about the virus, Hawkins said, noting that communicating information quickly but also admitting when it doesn’t understand something fully is helpful.

“We’re learning more about the virus and just as we learn more about it, it changes,” Hawkins said. “We learn more about it, we develop guidelines and recommendations based on what we know at this point and time, and then as the virus evolves and as we learn more, we have to change that.”

As of Friday, more than 74 million people have been infected with COVID-19 in the U.S. and almost 880,000 people have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been 1,192 deaths in Spokane County as of Friday, according to the health district.

Cases have consistently been over 1,000 per day in Spokane County as the highly contagious omicron variant proliferates. A record 1,886 new COVID-19 cases were reported Jan. 20 in the county. That was followed by 1,743 new cases Jan. 21, 1,607 Monday, 830 Tuesday, 1,309 Wednesday, 1,512 Thursday and 1,551 Friday.

Countless others have been hospitalized and/or experienced “long COVID,” or symptoms such as breathlessness, months after being infected.

The high number of cases continue to strain hospitals, schools and businesses, including in Spokane.