2 days Ago By Smrutisnat Jena
Kayla Harrison might have been denied a title shot by Julianna Pena, but the latter’s manager Ali Abdelaziz believes she is fighting for the bantamweight championship all the same. After winning against Raquel Pennington at UFC 307, Pena had snubbed Harrison and called out Amanda Nunes for a fight. However, in an interview with MMA Junkie, Abdelaziz revealed that he was told if Pena wasn’t fit enough to put the belt on the line, it wouldn’t really affect his client, Harrison’s plans in the UFC.
Abdelaziz further asserted that the promotion should not be putting any division on hold because someone was injured. He believes if a champion has already defended their title a lot, they might be offered some courtesy. Now Pena might not like where this is going but she will have little to no choice but to come back and defend her undisputed title upon her return.
What’s next for the UFC women’s bantamweight division? If Pena wanted her way, she would have waited for Nunes to return and fight for the trilogy. If Harrison had her way, she would be fighting Pena for the title and then challenge Nunes . However, since neither of those scenarios is likely to come to pass, it would appear Harrison is fighting the next best fighter in the division- Raquel Pennington.
The former two-time Olympic gold medalist, Harrison has been on a roll since joining the UFC, with wins over Holly Holms and Ketlen Vieira. She is also most likely walking into the Pennington fight as a betting favorite, despite having a rather underwhelming win in her last fight. However, if she wins the interim title and then manages to unify it against Pena upon the undisputed champion’s return, there will be nowhere else to go but actually call out Nunes, who already has hinted at her interest in fighting Harrison.
And truth be told, Harrison vs. Nunes is the fight that everyone wants to see. With the title on the line, it is sure to be one the biggest events in women’s combat sports the MMA community will ever witness.
But there’s a lot that needs to be done before it comes to pass..
