Kayla Harrison aims to expand "the Disney princess vibe" with win at UFC 316: "I do have quite the life"

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and former PFL champion Kayla Harrison is ready to shine on one of MMA's biggest stages, UFC 316. With a win at the event, she hopes to continue proving that you can be both powerful and poised.

In a recent YouTube video shared by SHAK MMA , Harrison shared her thoughts about her next fight with Julianna Pena. The 34-year-old acknowledged Pena’s toughness and fighting spirit but made it clear that she sees herself as the superior athlete in every aspect. She said:

“I think she’s got heart — that’s her best attribute as an athlete. She’s a fighter at her core. But I think I’m better everywhere: better striker, better grappler, better fight IQ. I just need to stick to my game plan and fight smart. It’s not personal for me. She has what I want — I’m about to go get it. She can say whatever she wants. I have a job to do."

She added:

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"I do have quite the life. Just wait after I win this title. The plot next to me is for sale, I'm about to go buy that. I'm going to expand the the disney princess vibes."

Check out Kayla Harrison's comments below (0:56):

Julianna Pena doubts Kayla Harrison’s all-round MMA abilities

Julianna Pena respects everything Kayla Harrison has achieved in her career, but she’s not sure those accomplishments prove she’s a complete MMA fighter. Pena praised Harrison for winning Olympic gold medals, earning titles in the PFL, and showing strong judo skills. Still, she feels Harrison’s fighting style is limited.

According to Pena, Harrison mainly uses her strength to take opponents down and control them on the ground, rather than showing a full set of MMA skills. She believes Harrison hasn’t yet proven herself against the best in the UFC. In an interview with ESPN MMA, Pena 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):

About the author

A B. Tech in electrical engineering, Dabeer began his professional career in 2022 with Vairuhl LLC. Dabeer turned into an MMA fan after watching Nick Diaz’s one-round barnburner with Paul Daley in Strikeforce in 2011. His favorite fighter is Tony Ferguson, whom Dabeer loves for his skills and personality. However, ‘El Cucuy’ does not figure in his top-five MMA fighters of all time, with Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov making that list.
Dabeer is of the opinion that MMA has supplanted boxing as the world’s premier combat sport, though he feels that UFC fighters in general are underpaid. This diehard MMA fan also believes that titles should not change hands by disqualification.
Someone who keeps himself immersed in the sport at all times, Dabeer likes to use his knowledge and writing skills to create accurate and relevant information that provides value to the readers. His hobbies are playing football and reading books.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi