Kayla Harrison is willing to make a quick turnaround — if it means competing for a belt.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist made her Octagon debut at UFC 300, delivering a dominant performance that saw her submit former bantamweight women’s champion Holly Holm in the second round of their preliminary scrap. With the win, Harrison will likely find herself thrust into the division’s top-five rankings, putting a title fight in her near future.
Getting word that reigning 135-pound queen Raquel Pennington is sidelined with an injury, Harrison proposed an interim title fight be booked with her taking on top-ranked contender Julianna Pena during International Fight Week.
Kayla Harrison says she heard Pennington is hurt. Suggests fighting for an interim in the Summer.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/pF4bmqHbsX
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 15, 2024
“I heard that ‘Rocky’s’ hurt all of the sudden, so if she can’t fight right now, I’m happy to fight whoever, this summer, for a title,” Harrison told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “Why not just an interim title? Then I’ll unify it, then I’ll fight Amanda. If it’s for a title, I will make myself available [for June 29]. I would love [UFC 303]. F*ck it, my time is now. I like the sound of [Harrison vs. Pena]. There would be some good sh*t talking from me.”
Harrison moved to 17-1 with her win over Holm on Saturday night.
Kayla Harrison would love to fight Julianna Peña at UFC 303 for an interim title. #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/CKhogen8Wd
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 15, 2024
Is Kayla Harrison vs. Julianna Pena the Fight to Make?
Meanwhile, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has been sidelined since July 2022 when she handed the bantamweight title back to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277. A trilogy bout between the two was scheduled for UFC 289 in June, but Pena was forced to withdraw after suffering a freak rib injury while training. Nunes moved on, defending her title against Irene Aldana before laying down her gloves and retiring from the sport.
Pennington would go on to win the vacant crown with a decisive decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva in January.
With Pena already all, but guaranteed a shot at Pennington’s undisputed title, it’s hard to imagine her choosing to walk into the fire against Kayla Harrison on eight weeks’ notice rather than waiting for ‘Rocky’ to heal up. But as they say in MMA, anything can happen.
Watch Kayla Harrison’s full appearance on The MMA Hour below:
