Julianna Pena was put away with a kimura in the second round of her UFC 316 co-main event title fight against Kayla Harrison, but the now-former women’s bantamweight champ appears to be in good spirits.
After a deluge of trash talk, Pena had little to no answer for Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo and two-time PFL women’s lightweight champ, in Newark on Saturday. Harrison looked bigger, stronger, was able to get Pena down, and eventually picked up the sub, absorbing little damage in the process.
Thus ended Julianna Pena’s second title reign in the UFC, with no successful title defenses in either. Now, she’s looking ahead, hoping to land a fight against the winner of Harrison versus Amanda Nunes.
“Thank you to the fans who lifted me with your love and encouragement during this fight camp,” Pena wrote on social media in response to the loss. “I love you all and feel so grateful for all the support and energy you guys give me—It truly means the world! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get the job done. I’m super disappointed but hats off to Kayla on her win!”
“Time to get healed up and get ready for her next fight because I’m calling dibs on the winner!” she finished.
Harrison vs. Nunes has been talked about for years, but after “The Lioness” lost her title to Pena in December of 2021, talk of the fight hit the backburner. Nunes would avenge the loss, claiming her belt back in an immediate rematch, but retired following UFC 289 in Vancouver in 2023, after defeating Irene Aldana. At the time, Harrison was still under contract to the PFL.
MMA retirements rarely seem to stick, however. With Harrison arriving in the UFC last year and working her way to the title, talk has swirled of a Nunes comeback. That was confirmed on Saturday when Nunes entered the cage following Harrison’s victory, confirming that she would indeed make her return to fighting before the pair faced off.
As for Pena, she’s 1-1 against Nunes and 0-1 against Harrison. Whether the UFC is interested in booking her against either fighter while coming off a loss remains to be seen.
