Kayla Harrison has had enough of Julianna Peña.
UFC 316: Kayla Harrison media day interview
UFC 316 co-headliner Kayla Harrison spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for her women’s bantamweight title fight vs. Julianna Peña.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Kayla Harrison can’t wait till she’s locked in the octagon with Julianna Peña.
Sure, Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) dreams of dethroning Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at UFC 316, and getting a hold of the UFC women’s bantamweight title, but she also just wants to get the pre-fight banter and trash talk over with. Harrison and Peña have gone back and forth over the last few months, with the champion doing most of the talking – which Harrison finds quite bad.
“I think hands down this is the most trash talk (I’ve endured),” Harrison said at the UFC 316 media day on Wednesday. “The talk itself is trashy. I don’t know if it’s good trash talk, but it’s trashy. This is the most I’ve ever had to endure. Yeah, it’s the worst trash talk I’ve had to endure, it’s just poorly done. I’ll tell you what. Being a female in a male dominated sport, going to American Top Team, you don’t think I hear sh*t all day every day? I walk in the gym, and they’re starting to (talk trash). But this was just poorly done. I’m ready to fight. I’m done talking about it.”
UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Peña vs. Harrison serves as the co-main event of the card.
Harrison is not interested in going engaging with the pre-fight antics with Peña, nor tearing her down. She does, however, promise she’ll be sitting at the top of the women’s bantamweight division come Sunday.
“I feel nothing. I focus on myself,” Harrison said. “I focus on how I carry myself, what I can do. I try not to throw stones from a glass house. Nobody is perfect, we’re all doing the best we can, but there’s going to be a new face of women’s MMA very soon.”
