Despite the newly crowned bantamweight champion calling for a trilogy bout against retired superstar Amanda Nunes, the UFC will almost certainly look to schedule her next title fight against Kayla Harrison.
Julianna Pena will, in all likelihood, be a sizable betting underdog for whenever that title showdown is booked; however, her coaches are confident that it’ll be the former PFL champion who misses the mark.
Julianna Pena’s coach warns Harrison about underestimating the champ
Speaking with MMA Junkie earlier this week, coach Mike Valle would state that whilst they’re certainly not overlooking the challenge presented by Kayla Harrison, there is a possibility that Harrison herself is underestimating the newly crowned bantamweight queen.
“I can’t say that we weren’t impressed, right? I mean she’s a great fighter, she’s very good in certain areas but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen [before] that we can’t come out on top of.
“She’s good, but Julianna is good too; until you get in front of her, [only then] you realize how good she is, and I think that’s what makes it very interesting.”
Whilst Pena has been pushing for GWOAT Amanda Nunes to end her retirement and return to the octagon for their trilogy matchup, the promotion is most likely going to book Pena vs Harrison in early 2025.
“Whenever Harrison does see Julianna in front of her, she’s going to be like ‘Oh my god, this girl is way better than what I thought’ and she’s going to be in tonnes of trouble,” predicted Valle.
“That’s what makes this fight so interesting, all the respect to her and her team but I can’t wait for them to sign a contract – whichever of the two fights is [next] and we’ll go to work.”
Pena’s victory at UFC 307 was the second astonishing underdog upset of the past few months for the veteran coach, who also helped guide Belal Muhammad to welterweight title success back at UFC 304 in July.
When asked what the difference is between his two pupils and some of the other top contenders vying for a title shot in their respective divisions, coach Valle noted that part of their shared success can be attributed to their unshakable desire to win.
“They’re willing to go so deep man, once you’re in there and grab someone it’s like ‘Oh man, I’m in it tonight with this person’… I have the same thing when it comes to Belal [Muhammad] too, like they’re unbreakable when it comes to that side [of the sport].
“You may see skills that they lack here or there, and that’s fine until you have them in front of you [when] you’re going to see how good they [really] are, and then on top of that, it’s just their will to push and go forward… That’s why they’re so fierce and why they’re both world champions.”
Expert nutritionist concerned by Kayla Harrison’s recent health admission
Despite getting her hand raised at UFC 307, there are concerns about Harrison’s title aspirations; having recently revealed that she’d suffered serious health complications in the weeks leading up to only her second bout in the promotion.
“I don’t like to make excuses, [but] I had to go to the hospital the week before, I was like peeing blood and there was some stuff going on,” Harrison told TMZ Sports, adding that “I definitely wasn’t my best inside the cage on Saturday night, and I know I can be better and [will] grow from it.”
Speaking with Bloody Elbow, expert nutritionist Tom Coughlin would admit that “Harrison’s experience certainly is a concerning one,” as he identified that the urine issue was “an indicator of kidney dysfunction” as a result of dehydrating her body too much, too quickly.
“It’s certainly a health risk factor for her and her team to consider going forward,” noted Coughlin, as he advised on what the Harrison team could do to help next time.
“I do believe that if she wants to continually make 136 lbs or challenge for the bantamweight title, she will need to look at adapting her walkaround weight/body composition and ideally lose a bit of her muscle mass.”