Kayla Harrison has mixed feelings about her next opponent, UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña.
UFC 316 will be a 135-pound showcase with each division's titles on the line June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. Before Sean O'Malley looks to reclaim his crown against his successor Merab Dvalishvili in the headliner, Harrison will attempt to dethrone Peña in the co-main event. The pair have had brief interactions so far, dating back to UFC 307 in October 2024, when both women came up with big wins. Their verbal sparring at that event's heated pre-fight press conference was just a glimpse of what's to come.
Harrison spoke Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" about her feelings toward Peña, and explained why it's difficult for the two-time Olympic gold medalist to like the champ.
"We'll see [how tough she is]," Harrison said. "There's always that little bit of unknown when you fight a new opponent. I don't think skill-wise she's the top of the top, but I think in terms of maybe heart and experience, she's got some good experience, and she's definitely got confidence. I would argue cockiness, maybe.
"I want to have a lot of respect for Julianna because she's a single mom, a veteran of the sport, she scratched and clawed her way to the top, she believed in herself when nobody believed in her. I really want to have admiration for her, and I think deep down, I do. And I love that she's confident and she says what she thinks. But she's just pretty dumb sometimes, so it's hard. It's difficult. Just some of the stuff, cheesy, very cringe. She reminds me a lot of Henry [Cejudo]. Trying too hard."
The timing of Harrison's big UFC title fight announcement arrived just as Harrison was starting to get antsy for her third bout in the Octagon. Ideally, the two-time PFL lightweight champion hoped to get the fight this Saturday at UFC 314 in Miami. She'll instead head to Newark in June, with intentions of further establishing her eventual case as the greatest female fighter of all time.
Harrison, 34, has made the most of her career opportunities through the Olympics and PFL before entering the UFC with a matchup against former champion Holly Holm. Harrison's move to the UFC looked like ...
