To Kayla Harrison, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is an appetizer. Once Harrison takes her seat at the head of the women’s bantamweight table on Saturday, she’s hungry for more competition.
Harrison marches into UFC 316 with all the swagger and confidence that comes with being the card’s biggest betting favorite. Harrison enters as a massive -800 favorite, a rare sight in title fights, where defending champions like Peña are seldom this heavily doubted. The betting lines highlight Harrison’s pedigree as a two-time Olympic champion and the apathy towards Pena’s skills.
Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently boasted that Harrison could beat Pena, former two-division champion Nunes and former bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey on the same night. Hyperbole is not foreign to Abdelaziz, but Harrison, normally much more reserved than her manager, agreed with the assessment.
“Yeah,” Harrison told CBS Sports after some contemplation. “In judo tournaments, you have multiple matches in a day. You have to rally for the finals. I’m one of the most winning athletes ever in judo tournament finals.
“When you’re the best in the world, you’re the best in the world. It doesn’t matter.”
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Harrison’s bravado is warranted. Wielding arguably the strongest grappling in women’s MMA, Harrison is a former two-time PFL champion who is undefeated in two UFC appearances.
Peña has talked a big game in the lead-up to their fight, including unfounded steroid accusations, calling Harrison a weight bully, and claiming Harrison fled the PFL to avoid a showdown with Cris Cyborg. But Harrison and oddsmakers aren’t buying the noise.
“She has heart. That’s her best attribute as an athlete,” Harrison said of Peña. “She’s a fighter at her core. I think her only real chance is if I decide to engage in a brawl. But I think I’m better everywhere: striking, grappling, and fight IQ.
“I’m cool, calm, and calculated. It’s not personal for me. She has what I want, and I’m about to get it. It’s as simple as that. She can say whatever she wants. She can do whatever she wants. She’s free to continue insane, but I have a job to do. That’s that.”
Check out the full interview with Kayla Harrison below.
Harrison must satiate herself by beating Peña solely. Rousey completely divorced herself from the sport publicly after retiring in 2016. Nunes, who joins the UFC Hall of Fame this year, teased a return to competition. With Nunes widely considered the greatest of all time, luring her out of retirement might be a bigger prize than the belt.
Harrison can’t test her one-night theory this weekend, but a faceoff with both women might be in reach. Rousey is gone, but Nunes is rumored to attend Saturday’s pay-per-view.
“I hope to face off with Amanda after I become UFC champion,” Harrison said. “She says she wants her belt back. It’s all about legacy for me. Let’s put it on the line: her legacy vs. my belt.”
