Tag: Julianna Pena

Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison is not looking forward to getting an earful from champion Julianna Peña in the lead-up to their expected showdown. Harrison and Peña both had their hands raised at the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this month, seemingly setting up a long-discussed clash between the pair […]

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’ at MMA News.

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison is not looking forward to getting an earful from champion Julianna Peña in the lead-up to their expected showdown.

Harrison and Peña both had their hands raised at the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this month, seemingly setting up a long-discussed clash between the pair in 2025.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was the first to emerge victorious, outpointing Ketlen Vieira on the main card to move to 2-0 under the UFC banner. “The Venezuelan Vixen” later made the walk for the co-main event, in which she dethroned Raquel Pennington to win back the 135-pound title.

Although Peña has attempted to draw Amanda Nunes back from retirement to complete their trilogy next, Harrison is no doubt the consensus number one contender and appears likely to compete with gold on the line in her third UFC fight.

While that is no doubt music to the two-time PFL champ’s ears, she outlined during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned that not everything about gearing up to challenge for the belt is positive…

Harrison — who went back and forth with the newly crowned bantamweight queen during the pre-fight press conference for UFC 307 — shared a sentiment common among Peña’s opponents when it comes to the verbal sparring she’s anticipating.

“I just don’t care. I mean, it’s going to be more exciting and more fun to whoop her ass,” Harrison said when asked if she was happy that Peña won. “But she’s also like — dude, now I have to listen to her talk.”

It remains to be seen when Harrison will get her shot at adding UFC title glory to an already illustrious résumé in combat sports.

While the Ohio native — who has dubbed herself the “uncrowned queen” in the 135-pound division — says she’ll soon be ready to go, the champ recently pointed to International Fight Week in the summer of 2025 as her desired return date.

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’ at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison is not looking forward to getting an earful from champion Julianna Peña in the lead-up to their expected showdown. Harrison and Peña both had their hands raised at the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this month, seemingly setting up a long-discussed clash between the pair […]

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’ at MMA News.

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison is not looking forward to getting an earful from champion Julianna Peña in the lead-up to their expected showdown.

Harrison and Peña both had their hands raised at the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this month, seemingly setting up a long-discussed clash between the pair in 2025.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was the first to emerge victorious, outpointing Ketlen Vieira on the main card to move to 2-0 under the UFC banner. “The Venezuelan Vixen” later made the walk for the co-main event, in which she dethroned Raquel Pennington to win back the 135-pound title.

Although Peña has attempted to draw Amanda Nunes back from retirement to complete their trilogy next, Harrison is no doubt the consensus number one contender and appears likely to compete with gold on the line in her third UFC fight.

While that is no doubt music to the two-time PFL champ’s ears, she outlined during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned that not everything about gearing up to challenge for the belt is positive…

Harrison — who went back and forth with the newly crowned bantamweight queen during the pre-fight press conference for UFC 307 — shared a sentiment common among Peña’s opponents when it comes to the verbal sparring she’s anticipating.

“I just don’t care. I mean, it’s going to be more exciting and more fun to whoop her ass,” Harrison said when asked if she was happy that Peña won. “But she’s also like — dude, now I have to listen to her talk.”

It remains to be seen when Harrison will get her shot at adding UFC title glory to an already illustrious résumé in combat sports.

While the Ohio native — who has dubbed herself the “uncrowned queen” in the 135-pound division — says she’ll soon be ready to go, the champ recently pointed to International Fight Week in the summer of 2025 as her desired return date.

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’ at MMA News.

Julianna Peña Urges Fans To Rewatch UFC 307 Fight Without ‘Garbage’ Commentary

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes commentary “bias” has played a part in the negative reaction to her title win earlier this month. Peña returned to the mountaintop at 135 pounds in the co-main event of the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, outpointing longtime rival Raquel Pennington on two of the three […]

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Urges Fans To Rewatch UFC 307 Fight Without ‘Garbage’ Commentary at MMA News.

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes commentary “bias” has played a part in the negative reaction to her title win earlier this month.

Peña returned to the mountaintop at 135 pounds in the co-main event of the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, outpointing longtime rival Raquel Pennington on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

The result, which came over two years on from “The Venezuelan Vixen’s” first reign being brought to an end by Amanda Nunes, caused considerable debate.

On MMA Decisions, 25 out of 27 media members scored the five-round contest in favor of Pennington. That sentiment was also shared by 78 percent of over 500 fan scorecards that were submitted.

The newly crowned queen has been left bemused by the post-fight ‘robbery’ narratives, and she seemingly placed blame on the commentary team during an appearance on the debut episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned.

Peña branded the commentary “garbage” while reiterating the reasons why she’s confident that four of the five rounds were won by her.

“When you throw less and land more, when you’re giving the other girl a bloody nose and a goose egg on her head, when you’re taking her down, when you’re frickin’ making her eyes get as big as plates because you’re hitting her so hard and rocking her sh*t…you can’t tell me that I lost the fight,” Peña said. “I won that fight, and I’m so sick of all these people trying to like, make me feel like I didn’t win.

“Rewatch the fight without all the commentary bias and you will see clearly that I won that fight,” Peña continued. “Obviously all of the frickin’ MMA media hates my guts. … Every single one of them scored it against me. They need to go rewatch it without all that frickin’ garbage commentary and look at the significant strikes. I threw less and I landed more and they were harder shots. Rewatch it, please!”

Alongside the controversy regarding the scoring, the other major topic to emerge from Peña’s title win is the next step in the bantamweight division.

While Kayla Harrison’s victory over Ketlen Vieira on the UFC 307 card has left her as the consensus number one contender, “The Venezuelan Vixen” seemingly has other plans, frequently looking to entice Amanda Nunes back to complete their trilogy instead.

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Urges Fans To Rewatch UFC 307 Fight Without ‘Garbage’ Commentary at MMA News.

Is Amanda Nunes Teasing a Comeback? Sends Message to Dana White: ‘Call Me, Please’

Is Amanda Nunes Teasing a Comeback? Sends Message to Dana White: ‘Call Me, Please’Is Amanda Nunes headed back to the UFC? That certainly appears to be the case after ‘The Lioness’ took…

Is Amanda Nunes Teasing a Comeback? Sends Message to Dana White: ‘Call Me, Please’

Is Amanda Nunes headed back to the UFC?

That certainly appears to be the case after ‘The Lioness’ took to social media on Tuesday and sent a pretty clear message to the promotion’s CEO, Dana White.

Last year, ‘The Lioness’ laid down both her bantamweight and featherweight titles following a dominant decision victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289. Since then, the 145-pound division has been sunset due to a lack of competition and the 135-pound weight class has seen Julianna Pena retake the throne following a controversial split decision win over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Amanda Nunes

That same night, former two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison scored her second career win inside the Octagon, besting No. 2 ranked contender Ketlen Vieira in the main card opener.

Amanda Nunes

Both of those happenings have seemingly reignited Nunes’ interest in fighting again.

Does Amanda Nunes go through Pena to get to Harrison?

In December 2021, Pena shocked the world with a second-round submission victory over Nunes at UFC 269 to kickstart her first bantamweight title reign. Unfortunately for ‘The Venezuelan Vixen,’ her run didn’t last long as ‘The Lioness’ retook the title seven months later in a most dominant fashion.

Amanda Nunes

Since then, Pena has been trying to goad Nunes into a trilogy fight and it appears as though she may finally get her wish. Of course, Pena vs. Nunes 3 is not the fight that fans are clamoring for, but it’s the one they’ll likely get before finally seeing ‘The Lioness’ take on the two-time PFL champion.

Amanda Nunes

Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’ 

If the UFC was to favor a meritocratic route to decide the first challenger to Julianna Peña, former fighter Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington would be getting an immediate rematch. Having not competed since being unseated by Amanda Nunes back in July 2022, Peña returned to the bantamweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 307 […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’  at MMA News.

If the UFC was to favor a meritocratic route to decide the first challenger to Julianna Peña, former fighter Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington would be getting an immediate rematch.

Having not competed since being unseated by Amanda Nunes back in July 2022, Peña returned to the bantamweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” fell on the right side of a widely debated split decision verdict in Utah, bringing a short reign for Pennington to an end in the co-main event.

Some were pointing to the recent numbered card as a tournament for the 135-pound division, with top contenders Kayla Harrison and Ketlen Vieira meeting earlier in the night.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion emerged victorious from that clash on the scorecards, seemingly booking a first UFC title shot.

Sonnen, however, thinks the conversation isn’t quite so clear-cut…

Sonnen Puts Pennington Above Harrison In Meritocratic Title Shot Queue

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reacted to the events that unfolded in regard to the bantamweight championship conversation at UFC 307.

While Sonnen acknowledged that Harrison is likely to compete for the gold in her third walk to the Octagon, he suggested that wouldn’t be the case if the decision was based on “merit.”

“When we’re having the discussion of what’s next, I think it would be responsible for us all — because if we’re just coming from a competitive nature or looking at the rankings, something like that, you lose, you don’t get Kayla. You get Raquel,” Sonnen said. “If you’re gonna just pay attention to merit and who’s done what, you don’t get Kayla vs. Peña next, you get Raquel in a rematch.

“From the world of promotion, there is nothing on Peña vs. Pennington in a rematch. But guys, there was nothing on it three days ago when we saw it,” Sonnen continued. “We’re not in a vastly different situation. If we’re just going to go off of merit, Pennington must be considered. That’s what I’m offering for you. Pennington should be the champion of the world right now.”

Regardless, Harrison is expecting to receive her opportunity next time out, having started life on MMA’s biggest stage with consecutive wins over top-five opposition at 135 pounds.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’  at MMA News.

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore appearance inside the Octagon. On Saturday, both Pena and Harrison…

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’

Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore appearance inside the Octagon.

On Saturday, both Pena and Harrison returned to MMA’s biggest stage as part of the promotion’s UFC 307 card in Salt Lake City. In the co-main event of the evening, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ recaptured the bantamweight championship via a controversial split decision victory over Raquel Pennington.

Julianna Pena

Immediately following the fight, Pena called for a trilogy bout with former two-division queen Amanda Nunes despite ‘The Lioness’ retiring from the sport last year following a dominant win against Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

“When I saw Amanda retire that day, I was sitting cageside, and I was booing because I didn’t believe she was truly done,” Peña said at the post-UFC 307 press conference. “You hear Dana White saying that he thinks she retired too early, and then you watch her and I think she’s just twiddling her thumbs and saying, ‘What am I doing? I’m bored. Who am I if I’m not fighting in the UFC?’

“I truly do not believe she’s done. She retired too early. I think that she’s looking for something to do. That, to me, is the biggest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history because we’re 1-1,” Peña said. “My fight against her was so dominant, I made her tap. Our second time, I ran out of time. I lost a decision handily, fine. No problem. But it would be nice to put it to bed once and for all and get that trilogy fight that she ran away from” (h/t Middle Easy).

Julianna Pena was not impressed with the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s performance

In reality, Pena’s next opponent will likely be Harrison who claimed her second-straight win and 18th overall to kick off Saturday’s main card in The Crossroads of the West. The two-time Olympic gold medalist handily defeated No. 2 ranked contender Ketlen Vieira.

gettyimages 2177010765 612x612 1

That should put Harrison next in line, but Pena doesn’t seem too keen on giving the former PFL champion a shot at the gold.

“To be honest, I’ll tell you, I was warming up and focusing on my own fight,” Peña said when asked about Harrison’s performance. “But, with that being said, I had my coaches there watching the fight [and] kind of giving me the 4-1-1 on what was going down. We’re not impressed. She said she was gonna put an elbow through her skull, and she was gonna do all this damage. Like, the girl [Vieira] didn’t have a scratch on her. It was boring, and she didn’t do anything that jumped off the pages like, ‘Ooh, the boogeyman.’ You know what I mean? So I was definitely, especially hearing from my team, not impressed.

“If Amanda cowers away, again, and does not come back and fight me then yes. Kayla brings a lot of eyeballs and a lot of attention to the sport and I love that.”

gettyimages 2177017898 612x612 1