‘She Can Actually Talk!’ – Julianna Peña Praises Kayla Harrison’s Banter, Embraces Big-Money Matchup Ahead of UFC 316
Julianna Pena appreciates Kayla Harrison’s attempts to banter back and forth ahead of their highly anticipated bantamweight title tilt.
Emanating from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Pena will put her 135-pound crown on the line against Harrison in the UFC 316 co-main event on Saturday night.
Long before Harrison and Pena were scheduled to scrap on MMA’s biggest stage, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ had a lot to say about the two-time Olympic gold medalist, much of it regarding the former PFL star’s alleged PED use. Though unsubstantiated, Pena has created a significant amount of hype for their clash in The Garden State.
And while Harrison has often been a fighter who prefers to do her talking in the cage, she’s often snapped back at Pena, suggesting that the TUF alumnus is making baseless claims as a way of dealing with her own insecurities.
During Wednesday’s UFC 316 media day, Pena showed some appreciation for Harrison’s willingness to return fire after back-to-back fights with the all-too quiet Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington.
“The UFC does a really good job of creating the best fights possible and making sure the fans get what they want,” Pena said. “This was a fight that the fans wanted, and it was the biggest fight in the division. Even though she only had two fights in the UFC, she was able to come in and get a title shot based on being a two-time champion and the accolades she possesses. It makes sense, and I’m happy to welcome the challenge.
“It’s just good when you have somebody that can string a sentence together, that can speak the language, and is willing to banter back and forth with you. It’s refreshing. Even when she was in PFL, people have been asking for Kayla to come to the UFC and fight for the title right away. A lot of people thought it would be Amanda, some thought it would be me, but it is me.”
Julianna Pena insists her negative comments about Kayla Harrison are nothing more than self-defense
Pena has emerged as one of the bantamweight division’s top draws thanks to her top-notch trash-talk, but this time, the ‘Vixen’ insists that she’s not trashing her opponent. She’s simply defending herself.
“I’m not trash-talking, I’m simply defending myself,” Pena continued. “This all started before I even knew who Kayla Harrison was. When I beat Amanda Nunes, I saw this blonde girl sitting cage-side, freaking out, cussing, and having all sorts of obscenities to say about me for beating Amanda and throwing a wrench in her plans.
“She’s been trash-talking me for a long time, long before I even knew who she was. Her agent made a comment that she was going to win by murder and catch some murder charges because she was going to murder me. Me talking back is my way of defending myself.”
