Julianna Pena questions Kayla Harrison’s readiness as a title challenger.
Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) edged out Raquel Pennington to reclaim the bantamweight title less than two weeks ago at UFC 307. Earlier that night, Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) defeated Ketlen Vieira to emerge as a top contender.
However, Peña insists on completing her trilogy with Amanda Nunes. The pair split their two title appearances, but Nunes retired before they could fight a third time. Harrison revealed that she was peeing blood during her weight cut for UFC 307, and will likely need some time off before her next fight.
Peña jumped at the opportunity to say Harrison is not ready for a title fight.
“The girl wants to take time off because she even knows that she can’t make the weight and that she’s not a rightful 135’er,” Peña told MMA Today. “She’s too big. She obviously can’t already make the first fight, which is making it to the octagon. She needs time off. That, to me, is already a loss.”
Peña was also not impressed with Harrison’s performance against Vieira, where she outgrappled the Brazilian, but tasted blood for the first time in her career. “The Venezuelan Vixen” is willing to fight Harrison next, but only if Nunes opts to wait.
“Secondly, there was nothing that I saw in her fight against Ketlen Vieira that was, ‘Oh, some world beater. Oh my gosh, I’m terrified: Kayla Harrison,'” Peña said. “Give me a break. She went out there three weeks early and she still gassed out. This is a five-round fight. This is 25 minutes of fighting. She can’t make championship weight like she claimed she was going to make. ‘Oh, I’m going to make 135 on the head.’ She said, ‘That wasn’t me making 136 on that last time, that was God.’ You’re going to need double the God. You have to make 135.0 on the head.
“She can’t even do that. The first fight is already lost. The second fight, she gassed out in three rounds. Come fight me for 25 minutes and you’ll see what it’s like to actually fight in championship rounds, making championship weight and fighting for the championship belt. She can’t even make it. … Kayla Harrison, get in line. I’ve got unfinished business to attend to. Everyone wants to say I dropped the ball for not calling out Kayla Harrison. Kayla Harrison just came to the party. Amanda Nunes is the big fight, the money fight, the fight that people want to see.”
