Julianna Pena unsure whether Kayla Harrison "is or is not on PEDs" ahead of UFC 316 clash: "Now she looks super juicy"

Julianna Pena raised concerns about her next title challenger, Kayla Harrison, potentially using performance-enhancing drugs. Although Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo and an elite MMA fighter, has never failed a drug test, Pena has repeatedly accused her of PED use as part of her mental warfare.

During her recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani show, Pena implied that the UFC's current anti-doping program isn't strict enough, which may allow fighters to hide PED use.

Speaking on whether she thinks Harrison uses PEDs, Pena stated:

"I cannot confirm 110 percent whether she is or is not on PEDs, but I will say that back then in the Olympics, she looked like a girl, very feminine, and now she looks super juicy and cut up. Like, somebody give that girl a Band-Aid because she's cut. It doesn't just happen overnight just because you touched the weights a little bit.

She added:

"So, I want to say what everybody's thinking on their minds, which is that, of course, she at some point was on steroids and hopefully she cycles off of them before June 7, makes the weight, and pisses clean – because that's what I'm going to be doing and I want this fight to be as fair a fight as possible, minus her being a weight bully and cutting the 50 pounds in order to make the weight class."

Check out Julianna Pena's comments below:

Despite Pena's allegations, it must be noted that Harrison was one of the most tested athletes of 2024 with 13 random tests and has never tested positive for PEDs.

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Julianna Pena believes Kayla Harrison's weight cut might negatively impact her performance

Kayla Harrison has primarily competed in the lightweight division during her early MMA career. While she has successfully made weight for both her previous UFC fights in the bantamweight division, there have been concerns about her ability to consistently make weight.

In the aforementioned interview with Ariel Helwani, Julianna Pena was asked about the possibility of Harrison missing weight for UFC 316. Pena expressed confidence that Harrison will make weight but opined that the significant weight cut could negatively impact her performance:

"She's a professional, and I have no doubt that she is going to make the weight. Does it suck? Is it mentally, physically and emotionally taxing? Absolutely! But that's what you get when you're trying to be a weight bully and try to cut 50 pounds in order to make weight. So she is in for a long night at the office. It's going to be very grueling and taxing. And at this point, it's like, 'How are you going to win?' You might be able to lay on top of me for one round, but after that, it's just better for me."

Check out Julianna Pena's comments below (2:18:09):

Harrison will challenge Pena for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 316 on June 7. Despite being the champion, Pena is a sizeable +450 underdog while Harrison is a -600 favorite.