Julianna Peña: Setting Her Sights on Kayla Harrison
Julianna Peña has been in the octagon with some of the best women ever to compete in MMA, but it’s her next opponent that she is most eager to beat. The UFC bantamweight champion, who recently reclaimed her title at UFC 307, hasn’t officially booked her next matchup with No. 1 contender Kayla Harrison, but all signs point to that grudge match happening soon. During an appearance on the Overdogs podcast, Peña was asked if she’d be interested in avenging any of her most famous losses—Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko, and Germaine de Randamie—but she made it clear that a win over Harrison would mean the most to her. "Kayla Harrison, absolutely," Peña said. "Because that’s fresh, that’s current. I don’t want to be living in the past, I don’t want to be stuck in the past. I want to be moving forward, and that’s Kayla Harrison, that’s the one that I have my eyes on, that’s my target, that’s my goal."
Past Rivalries and Future Goals
Peña’s statement comes as a surprise to some, given her frequent calls for Amanda Nunes to come out of retirement for a trilogy bout. Peña scored a shock upset of Nunes to win her first title when they fought at UFC 269 in December 2021, only to drop the title back to Nunes seven months later at UFC 277. Though Nunes has occasionally teased a comeback, "The Lioness" appears content to stay dormant for now. Peña seems to have moved on from that rivalry with Harrison in her sights, but she acknowledges there’s still plenty of negotiating to be done before their fight is official. "Everybody knows that we’re supposed to fight," Peña said. "Everybody knows that’s the biggest fight in mixed martial arts history, that that fight is going to be exciting, and that’s going to be the one to watch and to keep your eye out for. It’s not like some big secret. It’s not like I’m going to be like, ‘I’m fighting Amanda Nunes!’ Everyone knows it’s Kayla."
The Underdog Mentality
Depending on where one looks, Peña is as high as a 5-to-1 underdog while Harrison is coming in as a -700 favorite. As Peña pointed out, this is hardly new to her, as she feels she’s often overlooked despite being a two-time UFC champion. She offered a theory as to why the oddsmakers are quick to count her out and why that same reasoning can lead to her having the edge on fight night. "I think that one of the reasons why I’m an underdog or why I always get overlooked or why people are always counting me out is because maybe I’m not the most technically sound," Peña said. "Maybe I don’t throw the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em punches perfectly and make everything perfect, where I’m just so technical. Maybe I didn’t train martial arts or throw my very first punch until I was 19 years old and never was in wrestling as a young kid or judo as a young kid or never in any martial arts until that time."
Mental Toughness as a Weapon
But Peña believes that her mental toughness sets her apart from her opponents. "I’ve always had this one thing that has set me apart from everybody else and that is my mindset and the mental toughness, the grit, and the belief in myself that I can do anything and I’ve never put a ceiling on myself as far as what I’m capable of doing," she said. "I have always believed that I can and when you have that mental toughness of I don’t care what you do, I’m still going to get up and keep coming at you a million miles an hour, it’s really hard to defeat someone like that. When you throw the kitchen sink at someone and they say, ‘Is that all you got?’ It’s mentally defeating for them and it’s like, ‘What do I got to do to kill this person?’ and I’m just on the other side like Terminator."
The Fight Everyone Wants to See
The fight between Peña and Harrison is one that the MMA community is eagerly anticipating. Both fighters are at the top of their game, and their styles are expected to create a highly competitive and exciting matchup. Peña’s relentless approach and Harrison’s technical prowess promise a bout that could go down in history. "This fight is going to be the biggest in women’s MMA history," Peña emphasized. "It’s not just about the belts; it’s about proving who is the best. I’m ready to show the world that I am the best, and I will stop at nothing to achieve that."
A Future of Possibilities
As the UFC and the fans wait for the official announcement and the details to be finalized, Peña remains focused on her goal. She is confident that when the time comes, she will be more than ready to face Harrison and prove that she is the undisputed champion of the bantamweight division. The underdog mentality that has fueled her career will be her greatest asset as she prepares for what could be the defining fight of her career. "I’m not afraid of the odds," Peña concluded. "I’m not afraid of Kayla Harrison. I’m only afraid of not giving it my all, and I will not let that happen. This fight is going to be epic, and I’m going to come out on top."
