Prior to her arrival in the UFC, Kayla Harrison was champing at the bit to get her hands on Julianna Peña.
The bad blood between them initially escalated a few years back when Peña criticized Harrison for re-signing with the PFL — a choice that was out of her control due to the promotion matching a contract offer in free agency — and the two-time Olympic champion fired back a warning shot that constant questions about a potential fight would to lead to Peña getting “really, seriously hurt.” The trash talk ratcheted up once they were booked to fight at UFC 316 with Peña accusing Harrison of abusing steroids among other baseless claims during the mudslinging sessions to promote the event.
In the end, Harrison got the last laugh after she snatched a fight-ending kimura in the second round that forced Peña to tap out, making Harrison the new UFC bantamweight champion. Moments after winning the belt, Harrison embraced Peña and they shared a prayer together, which was a cathartic moment that gave Harrison newfound perspective on one of her most heated rivals.
“I definitely said that I wouldn’t be friends with her but I think I was wrong,” Harrison told MMA Fighting when addressing her feelings towards Peña. “I’m woman enough to admit when I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong.
“Sharing that prayer was really powerful. I just wanted to go pray for her but when she prayed for me, that was a really telling moment for me. Like she’s a sportswoman. She sold this fight. She did what she had to do and I respect that. Actually, I had a lot of fun, too. It’s definitely the most trash talk and the most tension I’ve ever really had in a fight and I enjoyed that. I had fun. I think she’s cool. She’s legit. I’m cool with Julianna.”
Truth be told, Harrison effectively let whatever animosity had built up between them expire as soon as Peña tapped and she became a UFC champion.
That was always her primary goal and Peña just happened to be the person holding the belt when Harrison earned her title shot. If anything, Harrison says she actually held Peña in high regard going into the fight and that forced her to make some adjustments once they were actually in the cage together.
“I do think if I take anything away from this fight, it’s to remember who the ‘F’ I am,” Harrison said. “Not that I was listening to the outside noise but I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this girl beat Amanda [Nunes] and she’s going to drag me into deep waters and I’m going to have to be smart’ and of course, all that is true. She beat Amanda. She is tough as nails. Her game plan was to drag me into deep waters.
“But I’m the best fighter in the world. I probably could have unleashed in the first round a little bit more but I was a little bit hesitant. The first round’s a feeling out process, what if she comes out swinging in the second round? Don’t get [impatient], take your time, pick your shots. No, I’m the best fighter in the world.”
Peña tapping out and Harrison becoming champion was almost like an out-of-body experience for the Ohio native as she ascended to her throne after promising for years she was more than ready to conquer the competition in the UFC.
Looking back now, Harrison can barely encapsulate that moment because it all feels so surreal.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion,” Harrison said. “You’re almost holding your breath. You’re almost kind of like don’t mess up, don’t mess up, be smart. It was short time, I heard the clapper, I was like I had the grip, it’s a position I’m really comfortable in. I drill it with [Steve] Mocco and Mike [Brown] all the time. It’s a submission I get quite a bit in practice as well.
“Dude, I just couldn’t believe. I could not believe it. I couldn’t believe that she tapped. I couldn’t believe it was over. I couldn’t believe I was UFC champion. It was overwhelming.”
Following the conclusion of the fight, Peña offered her congratulations but then said she would happily stick around to await the winner of Harrison’s expected fight against Amanda Nunes, who is coming out of retirement to return to the UFC.
While anything is possible, Harrison doesn’t really see a scenario where she stands across the cage from Peña again but that’s not her trying to crank up the bad blood. Harrison just doesn’t currently see Peña as a feasible option again while she’s champion.
“I mean I don’t think so,” Harrison said. “Again, not talking crap. I think she’s 2-2 in her last four or 3-3 in her last six, something like that. I think she’s got to go back to the drawing board and get some wins.
“There’s also a whole division, there’s a lot of young, hungry killers coming up. We’ll see. I’ll fight whoever they want me to fight but in my heart, I don’t think that we’ll fight again.”
