Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore look contained in the Octagon.
On Saturday, each Pena and Harrison returned to MMA’s greatest stage as a part of the promotion’s UFC 307 card in Salt Lake Metropolis. Within the co-main occasion of the night, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ recaptured the bantamweight championship by way of a controversial break up resolution victory over Raquel Pennington.
Instantly following the battle, Pena referred to as for a trilogy bout with former two-division queen Amanda Nunes regardless of ‘The Lioness’ retiring from the game final 12 months following a dominant win in opposition to Irene Aldana at UFC 289.
“Once I noticed Amanda retire that day, I used to be sitting cageside, and I used to be booing as a result of I didn’t consider she was actually achieved,” Peña mentioned on the post-UFC 307 press convention. “You hear Dana White saying that he thinks she retired too early, and then you definately watch her and I feel she’s simply twiddling her thumbs and saying, ‘What am I doing? I’m bored. Who am I if I’m not combating within the UFC?’
“I actually don’t consider she’s achieved. She retired too early. I feel that she’s in search of one thing to do. That, to me, is the most important battle in girls’s blended martial arts historical past as a result of we’re 1-1,” Peña mentioned. “My battle in opposition to her was so dominant, I made her faucet. Our second time, I ran out of time. I misplaced a choice handily, wonderful. No downside. However it will be good to place it to mattress as soon as and for all and get that trilogy battle that she ran away from” (h/t Center Simple).
Julianna Pena was not impressed with the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s efficiency
In actuality, Pena’s subsequent opponent will possible be Harrison who claimed her second-straight win and 18th total to kick off Saturday’s foremost card in The Crossroads of the West. The 2-time Olympic gold medalist handily defeated No. 2 ranked contender Ketlen Vieira.
That ought to put Harrison subsequent in line, however Pena doesn’t appear too eager on giving the previous PFL champion a shot on the gold.
“To be trustworthy, I’ll inform you, I used to be warming up and focusing by myself battle,” Peña mentioned when requested about Harrison’s efficiency. “However, with that being mentioned, I had my coaches there watching the battle [and] sort of giving me the 4-1-1 on what was happening. We’re not impressed. She mentioned she was gonna put an elbow by way of her cranium, and she or he was gonna do all this harm. Like, the lady [Vieira] didn’t have a scratch on her. It was boring, and she or he didn’t do something that jumped off the pages like, ‘Ooh, the boogeyman.’ You recognize what I imply? So I used to be positively, particularly listening to from my crew, not impressed.
“If Amanda cowers away, once more, and doesn’t come again and battle me then sure. Kayla brings loads of eyeballs and loads of consideration to the game and I really like that.”