“I’ll unify it,” Kayla Harrison eyes interim title fight with Julianna Pena after rumors emerge of champion Raquel Pennington getting injured
After claiming Raquel Pennington is "suddenly injured," Kayla Harrison wants interim title shot against top fighter.
Kayla Harrison plans ahead for interim title in Raquel Pennington's absence (Source: IMAGO)
One big takeaway from UFC 300 was that Kayla Harrison might just fight for the title next. The two-time $1 million PFL winner and Olympian Judoka had a tough challenge in front of her. She debuted against former bantamweight champ Holly Holm and came out dominantly on top. Now, she has Raquel Pennington in sight.
However, that has taken a slight step back. Kayla Harrison’s drop down to 135 pounds might make her prioritize the top name in the UFC for the next fight. In this case, it is the champion. However, ‘Rocky’ Pennington voiced that Harrison skipping the line as a top bantamweight post-UFC 300 wasn’t fair. Harrison had fired back and had instigated what seemed like the start of a good rivalry.
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, 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 that [Harrison vs. Peña]...Kayla Harrison via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting in SBN)
She told The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani that with an in-absentia champ, she’s even ready for an interim title against Julianna Pena for the women’s UFC bantamweight. Consequently, Peña told MMA on Sirius XM that she’d be interested in Harrison later down the line. In fact, Pena didn’t mind Harrison cutting big names if she could overcome Holm. Harrison wants to make a quick rebound for UFC 303 if need be. Additionally, she’s up to unifying her title against Pennington later.
Meanwhile, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ is on a layoff since her scrap with Amanda Nunes at UFC 277. Nunes is yet another name in the equation that Harrison is open to. Formerly American Top Team (ATT) partners, the duo, have had a silent running of rivalry building up.
Kayla Harrison explains her feud with Amanda Nunes
Kayla Harrison made quite a splash at her UFC 300 debut. Going up against bantamweight stalwart Holly Holm, she snagged a dominant win. Harrison has now advanced to 17-1 MMA and 1-0 UFC with her second-round submission win. She is currently at #4 in Women’s bantamweight rankings.
Harrison has the title shot in sight and wouldn’t mind defending it against former champion Amanda Nunes. Harrison vs. Nunes is a dream matchup in women’s MMA. As such, Harrison told Helwani about her history with Nunes.
I think that Amanda’s own worst enemy is her mind. She got it in her head that I was coming for her. I think after she lost to Julianna (Pena) she thought that I was going to get in the cage that night and challenge her, which was not true, not even near true...everyone on the team was trying their best to keep us in separate organizations even though I wanted to go. I think it left a bad taste in her mind, this not true image of what was happening behind the scenes...Kayla Harrison via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting in SBN)
Amanda Nunes formerly trained with Kayla Harrison at American Top Team but then left and formed her own team. Despite her recent retirement, she has time and again indicated to return back to action. She even recently teased Harrison being in the running for her next face-off. It remains to be seen who Harrison faces next and if it is ‘The Lioness.’
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