Tag: Kayla Harrison

Mike Brown: Kayla Harrison ‘head and shoulders above the rest’ of UFC women’s bantamweights

Coach Mike Brown is confident Kayla Harrison is on the cusp of her latest piece of gold.

Although her sophomore appearance in the UFC didn’t produce an abundance of highlights for her all-time reel, coach [autotag]Mike Brown[/autotag] is confident [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is on the cusp of her latest piece of gold.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo has spent the bulk of her career mostly dominating the PFL, where she won two $1 million 155-pound titles. She moved to the UFC earlier this year and debuted with a second-round finish of former women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm.

Not only did Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) take out a former titleholder right out of the gate, but she made a successful debut at 135 pounds, as well – a full 20 pounds down from where she spent most of her time in the PFL. At UFC 307, she faced some second-round adversity against Ketlen Vieira (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), but ultimately won a unanimous decision.

Former WEC champ Brown, who now is her head coach at American Top Team, thinks Harrison’s arrival in the UFC will bring some luster back to the division that had Ronda Rousey as its founding champion before Holm, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington.

“Kayla really is on another level than these other girls, and I think that she’s bringing back excitement to that division,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “I think that division really needs it. The level of talent is not super deep there.

“She is an outlier. She’s charismatic and she is, I think, head and shoulders above the rest of the females and I think with the way she talks and the way she looks and what she’s capable of, she brings a lot of excitement. I think (the division) needs it, and I think she’s going to do big things.”

Harrison seemed to position herself as the next challenger for the title just a few fights before then-former champ Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) beat Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) by split decision to win back the belt at UFC 307 earlier this month.

But after Peña’s win, she didn’t acknowledge Harrison’s win over Vieira – and instead said she hopes Nunes comes out of retirement to fight in a trilogy matchup. Peña upset Nunes to win the title, but lost it to her in a rematch. Nunes then retired and vacated both the women’s bantamweight and featherweight belts.

Brown, like Harrison, thought Peña ignoring her will only go so far.

“We just laughed. We almost expected it,” Brown said. “I don’t think really the (bantamweight) girls want any piece of Kayla. I think she’s making her claim, and I think she’s the future of the division. It’s going to happen eventually. You can’t run from it forever. You might as well face the music.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Julianna Peña: Amanda Nunes the money fight – not Kayla Harrison and her weight struggles

Julianna Peña questions Kayla Harrison’s readiness as a title challenger.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] questions [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s readiness as a title challenger.

Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) edged out Raquel Pennington to reclaim the bantamweight title less than two weeks ago at UFC 307. Earlier that night, Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) defeated Ketlen Vieira to emerge as a top contender.

However, Peña insists on completing her trilogy with Amanda Nunes. The pair split their two title appearances, but Nunes retired before they could fight a third time. Harrison revealed that she was peeing blood during her weight cut for UFC 307, and will likely need some time off before her next fight.

Peña jumped at the opportunity to say Harrison is not ready for a title fight.

“The girl wants to take time off because she even knows that she can’t make the weight and that she’s not a rightful 135’er,” Peña told MMA Today. “She’s too big. She obviously can’t already make the first fight, which is making it to the octagon. She needs time off. That, to me, is already a loss.”

Peña was also not impressed with Harrison’s performance against Vieira, where she outgrappled the Brazilian, but tasted blood for the first time in her career. “The Venezuelan Vixen” is willing to fight Harrison next, but only if Nunes opts to wait.

“Secondly, there was nothing that I saw in her fight against Ketlen Vieira that was, ‘Oh, some world beater. Oh my gosh, I’m terrified: Kayla Harrison,'” Peña said. “Give me a break. She went out there three weeks early and she still gassed out. This is a five-round fight. This is 25 minutes of fighting. She can’t make championship weight like she claimed she was going to make. ‘Oh, I’m going to make 135 on the head.’ She said, ‘That wasn’t me making 136 on that last time, that was God.’ You’re going to need double the God. You have to make 135.0 on the head.

“She can’t even do that. The first fight is already lost. The second fight, she gassed out in three rounds. Come fight me for 25 minutes and you’ll see what it’s like to actually fight in championship rounds, making championship weight and fighting for the championship belt. She can’t even make it. … Kayla Harrison, get in line. I’ve got unfinished business to attend to. Everyone wants to say I dropped the ball for not calling out Kayla Harrison. Kayla Harrison just came to the party. Amanda Nunes is the big fight, the money fight, the fight that people want to see.”

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Julianna Peña coach Mike Valle cautions Kayla Harrison about UFC champ’s ‘unbreakable will’

Julianna Peña coach Mike Valle loves that Kayla Harrison seems to think she’ll easily take gold from the new UFC champ.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] and a large portion of the MMA community seem to believe it’s an inevitability that she will defeat [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] to claim the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

Not so fast.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) recaptured the championship this month at UFC 307 with a split decision over Raquel Pennington in Salt Lake City. Earlier that night, two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) likely punched her ticket to a crack at gold with a victory over Ketlen Vieira.

Although Peña largely ignored Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the aftermath of the event and said she was “not impressed” by the performance while subsequently calling for Amanda Nunes to come out of retirement for a trilogy, all signs point to the showdown with Harrison being next.

Peña’s coach, Mike Valle from VFS Academy in Chicago, said his athlete will be ready if it is indeed Harrison. He doesn’t share the same negative slant of the two-time PFL season winner as Peña, but he does think Harrison is in for a rude awakening if she thinks it will be easy to snatch the belt.

“I can’t say that we weren’t impressed,” Valle told MMA Junkie on Friday. “She’s a great fighter. She’s very good in certain areas. It’s nothing that the world hasn’t seen. It’s not nothing we can’t come on top of. She’s good. But Julianna is good, too. When you get her in front of you, you realize how good she is. That’s what makes it very interesting. Whenever Harrison sees Julianna in front of her, she’s going to be like, ‘Oh my God. This girl is way better than what I think.’ And she’s going to be in tons of trouble. That’s what it is. That’s what makes the fight so interesting. All respect to her and her team. I’ve never disrespected her or her team. But I just can’t wait. If they sign a contact, we’ll go to work.”

Valle has heard it all before when it comes to Peña. She’s not skilled enough. Not athletic enough. Not powerful enough. Not dangerous enough. The criticisms can be endless in this industry, but Valle knows better than anyone what he has with “The Venezuelan Vixen” and is happy to let anyone continue to underestimate her.

“When you get that feeling, and you have someone across from you that’s not just going to fight with skills – we’re going to fight with a lot of will,” Valle said. “An unbreakable will. That says something to a person. I think that’s what it is. … You may see the skills and go, ‘OK, she lacks here and here.’ That’s fine. When you have her in front of you, you’re going to see how good she is. Then, on top of that, her will to push, will to go forward and to push. To have her on top of you or in your face all night, it says a lot about an athlete.”

Ultimately, Valle said he knows Peña’s biggest fights and toughest tests are on the horizon. Whether it’s the matchup with Harrison, a trilogy with Nunes or both in successive fashion, Valle is excited to dive into the challenge of game planning and finding a way for Peña to come out on top.

“Both of those fights represent something very interesting in their own way. I think a fight with Amanda would be great, but if it’s Harrison, cracking her is going to be – people think she’s invincible and just going out there and Julianna putting her stamp on it, I think it would be a great statement. From there, Amanda hopefully comes out of retirement. All three girls are amazing and it’s very interesting for MMA fans. Whichever one happens is going to be a great fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Oct. 8: Julianna Peña back on top

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 307, where Julianna Peña reclaimed the women’s bantamweight title.

The latest pay-per-view event for the UFC hosted a pair of title fights, producing a new two-time champion.

In the main event of UFC 307, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] successfully defended his light heavyweight title by stopping [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in a Fight of the Night battle. Pereira is already No. 1 in his division and in the P4P rankings, so he has nowhere to move. However, Rountree, even in a loss, moves up a few spots due to his stellar performance, moving from No. 12 to No. 10.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] emerged victorious in a controversial split decision win over [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] to win back the women’s bantamweight title. Peña entered the week at No. 2 and Pennington at No. 1, swapping places after Saturday’s result.

In another women’s bantamweight swap, No. 3 [autotag]Ketlen Viera[/autotag] lost to No. 4 [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]. They swap rankings in this week’s update.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Kayla Harrison on Julianna Peña dismissing her after UFC 307: ‘She’s just scared, got to make a lot of noise’

Kayla Harrison isn’t surprised that Julianna Peña didn’t address her after reclaiming the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] isn’t surprised that [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] didn’t address her after reclaiming the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) edged out Raquel Pennington in Saturday’s UFC 307 co-main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. On the same night, Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) became No. 1 contender when she defeated Ketlen Vieira.

During Peña’s post-fight interview in the octagon, a split screen showed Harrison watching her talk. But instead of calling out Harrison, Peña turned her attention to a trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes.

“I think she’s just scared, got to make a lot of noise,” Harrison told TMZ. “I think she’ll do anything not to fight me, including call out – she’s probably going to call out Ronda Rousey next. I’m used to it. We’re blonde, and we did judo, so we must be just alike. From what I understand from my manager, I’m next.”

Harrison was asked who she’d rather fight next: Peña for the title or Nunes, and the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka said she has a plan.

“I want both,” Harrison said. “Can I not have both? I want to win the title. Give Amanda time to get back in shape and train. She can be training for me that whole time. I’ll go f*ck up Julianna real quick, and then Amanda and I can fight.”

Many thought Pennington was robbed against Peña and Harrison agrees – even though she admits that she didn’t get to watch the entire fight.

“I didn’t get to see the full fight, I haven’t gone back and watched the first round yet, but I thought that ‘Rocky’ (Pennington) won,” Harrison said. “I mean, it’s kind of like an unspoken rule: You’ve got to take the title. You don’t get to steal the title. You’ve got to take the title.

“And I looked on MMA Decisions and every single – like that never happened. I’ve never seen it where every single journalist agrees, and they all said that Raquel won it. I didn’t see the first round, so I can’t absolutely say.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Video: Was Raquel Pennington robbed at UFC 307? Is Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison next?

Where does women’s bantamweight go after Saturday’s UFC 307 results? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

The landscape in the UFC women’s bantamweight division changed dramatically at UFC 307.

Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City hosted two key bouts at 135 pounds, with a championship fight between [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag], and what many expected to be a title eliminator in [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]. In the end, Peña regained her UFC belt in disputed fashion, and Harrison kept her undefeated status in the promotion.

Did Peña rightfully win the UFC belt, or was Pennington robbed from a decision win? Is Harrison the clear next challenger, or could [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] be lured back into competition?

MMA Junkie’s Brian Garcia, Nolan King, Mike Bohn, and host Gorgeous George analyze the updated landscape at women’s bantamweight and discuss how things could shake out in the near future.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/W8fowdpah74

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How bleeding for the first time put Kayla Harrison in ‘mom mode’ at UFC 307

When Kayla Harrison realized Ketlen Vieira made her bleed, she immediately thought of her kids and made a decision.

Prior to UFC 307, [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] hadn’t bled in 18 career fights. Then she did in her 19th after Ketlen Vieira landed two hard elbows to her face in the second round of their bantamweight bout this past Saturday, and what immediately crossed Harrison’s mind was her kids sitting cageside.

“I mean, honestly, my kids can’t come to my fights anymore. Because my first thought was, ‘Oh, my kids are seeing this,'” Harrison said Monday in an interview with TMZ. “That is not a thought I need to be having when I’m inside of a cage. I don’t need to be thinking of my kids watching me bleed. I went into mom mode. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I hope they know I’m OK.'”

Harrison, 34, became a single mom through adoption in 2019 when unfortunate family circumstances served as a calling to take in her niece and nephew. The thought of how her kids would react lasted for only a moment. Once it left her mind, Harrison went back to being all business for Round 3.

“After I got that thought out of the way, it was just kind of like – in between the second and third round, I was bleeding, and I kind of hawked a loogie, and I spit,” Harrison said. “There was blood on it, and I just bit down on my mouthguard like, ‘All right, let’s f*cking go.'”

Harrison went on to win the third round on all three judges’ scorecards and secured a unanimous decision win in her second UFC appearance. The former two-time PFL champion expects to fight for the UFC title next against newly crowned champion Julianna Peña.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Kayla Harrison admits to ‘peeing blood’ week before UFC 307, ‘just not built to weigh 135 pounds’

Life as a UFC bantamweight appears to be taking its toll on Kayla Harrison.

In reflecting on her performance at UFC 307, [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] reached a straightforward assessment.

“It definitely wasn’t my best night in the cage,” Harrison said Monday in an interview with TMZ.

Although Ketlen Vieira made Harrison bleed for the first time in her career, the former two-time PFL champion still managed to dominate their women’s bantamweight bout on the mat, en route to a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Harrison wasn’t exactly her best, but she might’ve had a good reason.

“I don’t like to make excuses, but I had to go to the hospital the week before,” Harrison said. “I was, like, peeing blood. There was some stuff going on. I don’t like to make excuses, but I definitely wasn’t my best inside the cage Saturday night. I know I can be better and grow from it.”

Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told MMA reporter Kevin Iole that they made UFC officials aware of the situation prior to UFC 307. Harrison didn’t provide further details as to why she was “peeing blood” and taking antibiotics one week before the fight.

Harrison spent the first six years of her career competing as a PFL lightweight at 155 pounds. With the UFC not offering a women’s lightweight or featherweight division, Harrison has been forced to fight 20 pounds lighter than her normal weight in order to fulfill her UFC dream.

Harrison admits it’s already taken a toll after just two weight cuts for wins against Holly Holm and now Vieira. For that reason, she’d like “a little bit of time off” as a likely title shot with new champ Julianna Peña is up next.

“I need to take a little bit of time off just because of the weight cut and the process that it is for my body,” Harrison said. “I’m not built for – I’m just not built to weigh 135 pounds. Anytime I get under the 150s, it’s not pleasant. …

“The first time was fear of, like, ‘Can I do it?’ This time it was fear of, like, ‘Oh God, I have to do it’ – the anticipation. But I’m blessed. I have such a good team.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Daniel Cormier: Julianna Peña ‘dropped the ball’ by not calling out Kayla Harrison after UFC 307

Daniel Cormier thinks Julianna Peña should have addressed Kayla Harrison after UFC 307.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] should have addressed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] after UFC 307.

Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) defeated Raquel Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) by split decision to reclaim the bantamweight title in Saturday’s co-main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Earlier in the night, Harrison became No. 1 contender when she defeated Ketlen Vieira.

As Peña was speaking to Joe Rogan post fight in the octagon, a camera showed Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) listening in. But instead of mentioning Harrison’s name, Peña called for a trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes, which Cormier says was a mistake.

“I will say this: She dropped the ball on the callout,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I mean, Kayla’s on the screen. Say her name. Why no-sell the person that is clearly going to be your No. 1 contender? There is no world where she does not fight Kayla Harrison. She’s fighting her next.

“You might as well put the sell on it right now. Don’t wait until the fight is announced. Now you’re a step behind when you had the opportunity to be a step ahead going into your fight with Kayla Harrison, who will be the No. 1 contender for your championship as we go forward.”

Harrison was tested by Vieira, who made her taste blood for the first time in her MMA career. Peña later said she wasn’t impressed with Harrison’s performance, but Cormier thinks Harrison failing to completely dominate should have encouraged Peña to build the fight.

“Tonight, it’s not like Kayla Harrison looked the best,” Cormier said. “Kayla’s looked better. Tonight, she looked like a girl that needs to get takedowns and if she doesn’t, she is still in the very early stages of her striking.

“So Julianna Peña should’ve, after this performance, been more willing to say her name. At the end of the day, she becomes the champion again and Mike Valle and his team out at Valle Flow now have two UFC champions on their roster – massive for a gym out of Chicago that isn’t a massive, huge gym.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Julianna Peña not impressed with ‘one-trick pony’ Kayla Harrison’s UFC 307 win

Julianna Peña dismissed Kayla Harrison’s performance at UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] dismissed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s performance at UFC 307.

Peña (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) reclaimed the bantamweight title when she edged out Raquel Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-5 UFC)  in Saturday’s co-main event at Delta Center. Earlier in the night, Harrison picked up her second UFC win when she outgrappled Ketlan Vieira.

A split screen showed Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) listening to Peña’s post-fight interview in the octagon, but “The Venezuelan Vixen” instead called for a trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes. Peña insists on settling the score with Nunes, and says she expected a better performance from Harrison.

“I’ll tell you, I was warming up and focusing on my own fight, but with that being said, I had my coaches there watching the fight and kind of giving me the 411 on what was going down. We’re not impressed,” Peña told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 307 post-fight press conference.

“She said she was going to put her elbow through her skull, and she was going to, you know, do all this damage. (Vieira) didn’t have a scratch on her. It was boring, and she didn’t do anything that jumped off the page like, ‘Ooh, the boogeyman,’ you know what I mean? So I was definitely, especially with hearing from my team, not impressed.”

Harrison was tested by Vieira, who split her head open with an elbow in the clinch. Vieira showed resistance, but Harrison eventually overwhelmed her. Peña thinks the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka was exposed.

“I definitely think that at some point or another, like Ronda (Rousey), when you figure out the one-trick pony of being able to stuff a takedown, you realize that the fight is more competitive and more even than people want to give it credit for,” Peña said. “I think that once you stuff the takedown, you realize that you’re actually in a tougher fight than you thought you were, and I think that that’s kind of what played into her head tonight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.