'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kayla Harrison will challenge Julianna Pena for the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 316 on June 7. This will be Harrison’s first shot at UFC gold in just her third appearance for the promotion.
Pena, now in her second reign as champion, is defending the belt after a narrow split-decision win over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307. At the UFC 316 press conference, Pena accused Harrison of avoiding tougher opponents in her PFL tenure, specifically Cris Cyborg. She also criticized the UFC for allowing Harrison to bypass other contenders despite her limited time in the organization.
Harrison, meanwhile, made her position clear in a recent interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN MMA. She claimed that while she respects Pena’s experience, she also sees clear openings to exploit. She said:
Trending
“I think that I’m here to show what the difference between good and great is. I feel like she’s a veteran of the sport. She’s the Ultimate Fighter winner. She’s been around for a long time. She’s gritty. But we’ve seen her lose, and we’ve seen the holes in her game. I’m here to expose it one more time. I’m here to add her name to my resume.”
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Harrison added:
“She’s very unorthodox. She definitely likes to brawl. I think that’s really her only chance, to try and make it a brawl. But my fight IQ, my coaches, my team, we have a plan. I’m going to go out there and implement the game plan, stick to it, be smart, and become UFC champion.”
Check out Kayla Harrison's comments below (2:30):
Julianna Pena questions Kayla Harrison’s depth as a mixed martial artist
Julianna Pena acknowledges Kayla Harrison’s accolades but isn’t convinced they translate to complete MMA skills. She respects Harrison’s Olympic gold medals, PFL titles, and dominant judo background, but sees her approach as limited.
Pena believes Harrison has relied heavily on physical strength to control opponents on the ground rather than showing a well-rounded game. In her view, Harrison has yet to prove herself as a full mixed martial artist inside the UFC.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN MMA, she said:
“I would say that she is unproven in that category because she has just been able to muscle her way down to getting these girls down to the ground and trying to lay on top of them, control time for fifteen minutes... I think that Amanda[Nunes] is more of a complete fighter all around than Kayla is.”
Check out Julianna Pena's comments below (3:00):
