Julianna Pena has continued her war of words ahead of her first bantamweight title defense.
There doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley heading into the main event of UFC 316 on June 7.
The same cannot be said for the co-main event where Pena faces Kayla Harrison in a huge fight for the 135 pound division.
While it is the shadow of Amanda Nunes that looms large over this upcoming title fight, it’s another former bantamweight champion that was recently brought up in conversation between the two rivals.
Similarities have been drawn between Harrison and Ronda Rousey for some time but the former PFL star looked to draw a line under this following a back-and-forth exchange with her next opponent.
Julianna Pena defends Ronda Rousey after Kayla Harrison highlights her Judo success
Kayla Harrison has built a pro record of 18-1 as she continues to develop as a mixed martial artist but it is still her Judo background that is her strongest skillset.
This naturally lends itself to comparisons with Ronda Rousey, who used her Judo specialty and aggressive style to become a superstar for the UFC, finishing opponents in record time.
Harrison and Julianna Pena recently took part in an interview for ESPN MMA where they traded comments, with the champion stating that her opponent isn’t going to be able to put her away early on.
“You ain’t Ronda Rousey, guarantee you’re not gonna take me out in 20 seconds.”
Harrison fired back by highlighting her accomplishments in comparison to Rousey’s.
While ‘Rowdy’ did pick up a bronze medal for Judo at the 2008 Olympic Games, Harrison would succeed her by winning back-to-back gold medals in 2012 and 2016.
“First of all, I’m not Ronda because Ronda couldn’t win an Olympic gold medal… she doesn’t hold a candle to my career and it doesn’t matter because it’s not about that.”
Pena came to Rousey’s defense when stating that while Harrison may have achieved more in Judo, she is yet to achieve the same level of success in MMA.
“She beat you! She beat you didn’t she? Wasn’t it your manager that was literally saying you’re gonna surpass all of Ronda’s accomplishments? You haven’t been able to do that yet.”
Julianna Pena believes that her time in the UFC outweighs Kayla Harrison’s success elsewhere
Along with her time in the PFL where she achieved great success, Kayla Harrison believes that her experience as an Olympic judoka helps her prepare for her first five-round fight in the UFC.
Julianna Pena, on the other hand, is confident in her abilities due to the time that she has spent in the promotion, fighting the top names in her division.
Pena went as far as to say that in her opinion, she had the most difficult path to UFC gold, having faced the likes of Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko and Raquel Pennington during her time on the roster.
“I believe that I have had the hardest road in order to get the championship belt that I have acquired. Nobody has had a harder road than I have had in order to get these championship belts and I think that that’s what makes the difference. I’ve been fighting under the UFC banner since 2013 and I’ve been fighting the top of the top.”