Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Kayla Harrison, Julianna Pena Go Back and Forth With Accusations and Denials at UFC 316 Press Conference

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

As soon as Kayla Harrison and Julianna Pena got in front of each other, for the first time, ahead of their UFC 316 title fight, we knew that both these fighters wanted to get their hands on each other. Pena is set to take on Harrison for her first title defense fight for her second reign at UFC 316 on June 7, 2025.

The Venezuelan Vixen is coming off of a win against Raquel Pennington, and while the fight was extremely close Pena ended up winning the fight via split decision. Meanwhile, the 2x Olympic Gold Medalist and PFL Champion, Harrison, is getting her first title shot in the UFC and this will only be her third fight in the UFC.

Pena has an MMA record of 13-5-0 and has taken down one of, if not, the greatest fighter in UFC women’s category, Amanda Nunes. Meanwhile, while Harrison may not be the most experienced UFC fighter, she has finished 13 of her 19 total opponents and has never been knocked out so far. Recently, Harrison and Pena exchanged a lot of words in the UFC 316 press conference. Let’s find out what happened.

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After a heated #UFC316 press conference, Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison have their first title fight faceoff. pic.twitter.com/GF4jl9J0gJ
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 11, 2025

Harrison and Pena’s Fiery Exchange Ignites UFC 316 Press Conference

Both the fighters had strong words for each other at UFC 316 press conference and when the two stood before each other for the stare down, you could clearly see the hatred that these women had for each other.

Also Read: “Sadly You Act Like A Champion” – Daniel Cormier Accuses Alexander Volkanovski Ahead Of His UFC 314 Main Event!

Pena accused Harrison of ducking Cris Cyborg when she fought in PFL, and she also accused Harrison of jumping the line and being favorited to fight for the title right away even when she’s only fought in two UFC fights and has not really proven herself in the UFC. Here is what Pena said:

“You know at the end of the day it’s very apparent that she (Harrison) was ducking Cris Cyborg at the PFL. I don’t know anyone that would pour in that much money to one specific person like Don Davis to have her as a face of his brand and then for her to not only forego her contract at the PFL. She was running from Cris Cyborg. Everybody knows that. And of course she had such a big name there that she was able to jump the line in front of all these women that had put in so much time and effort into making this bantamweight division great. So do I understand it, of course. The machine is a money maker, if you don’t make money, it don’t make sense.”

Harrison denied the accusation of ducking Cris Cyborg and claimed that she came to the UFC because it’s the best organization in the entire world. Harrison also added that she’s having fun and is getting paid to put down her elbow right through Pena’s skull. The back and forth between the two women continued Pena even went as far as to ask Harrison about if she was even ready to take the current women’s bantamweight champ on.

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Why Is There Bad Blood Between Pena and Harrison?

The Bad Blood between Pena and Harrison comes from a mix of some word exchanges in the past and personal jabs that has accumulated over time. The situation between the two started escalating around UFC 307 in October of 2024, when both the women fought on the same card. Pena won the bantamweight title via a very controversial split decision against Raquel Pennington.

Kayla Harrison has all the respect toward Julianna Peña. 🙌

"I want to have a lot of respect for Julianna because she's a single mom, she's a veteran of the sport, she scratched and clawed her way to the top, she believed in herself when nobody believed in her.

I think probably… pic.twitter.com/NQNceyqt32
— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) April 7, 2025

Meanwhile Harrison took down Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Post-fight Pena dismissed Harrison as a contender and went on to call out retired fighter Amanda Nunes for a trilogy fight instead. Pena went on to mock Harrison’s performance, questioning her cardio and the ability to make 135 pounds, even suggesting that she “gassed out,” and wasn’t a “rightful 135er.”

Harrison fired back at Pena, calling the bantamweight champion “pretty dumb sometimes,” and “cringe,” for her rough trash talk. All these translated further to UFC 316 press conference, where they traded a whole bunch of insults on each other. Pena referenced Harrison’s tough weight cuts, implying weakness, and Harrison retorted that Pena would need every little advantage to compete against her. Thereafter, a heated faceoff followed, which highlighted their disdain even further.

Also Read: ‘The Return Of The Lioness’ – Amanda Nunes Ready To Take Back What Was Hers Soon!

Julianna Pena

Kayla Harrison

UFC 316

Eric Divakaran

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nfl

mma

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