Kayla Harrison Sends Strong Message to Julianna Peña

Getty Images Kayla Harrison.

Kayla Harrison did not take too kindly to some trash talk from Julianna Peña after her upset victory over Amanda Nunes at UFC 269, clapping back at the new women’s bantamweight champ in a big way.

Peña told MMA Junkie earlier in the week that Harrison was Nunes’ “lesser of the training partners.”

“She’s been fighting the B-leagues. I’ve been fighting in the UFC. I’ve been fighting at the top of the division,” Peña said. “I’m fighting in the biggest league of this sport, so I’m not paying too much attention to what she’s doing down there.”

Harrison, who fights at 155 pounds, is the biggest free agent in the sport, coming off a second PFL women’s lightweight championship. She sent a stern warning to Peña in response to the trash talk.

“I think that Julianna, you know, congrats to her for her victory. I know she must be on Cloud 9 right now, and I would just caution her to be careful,” Harrison said. “You don’t say stuff like that to people like me unless you mean it. This isn’t like a Conor McGregor ‘let’s just talk a little sh*t’ – no. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

Harrison Said She Could Beat Peña With 1 Arm

Harrison found the trash talk from Peña to be fairly misguided, considering they fight in different weight classes. She joked that she would need to cut off her arm to make 135, but Harrison still liked her chances in the scrap.

“I think it’s just dumb too, ya know? She fights at 135. I fight at, right now, 155, so unless you’re willing to back it up, then don’t say stuff like that,” Harrison told TMZ Sports. “Don’t open that can of worms. Don’t go there. Honestly, I’d probably have to chop off my arm to make 135. … I think that it would only take one arm to beat her.”

There’s still a question whether or not Harrison even ends up in the UFC, although it’s certainly looking that way after she sat ringside for the weekend’s event.

Harrison: Nunes ‘Starches’ Peña 9 Times Out of 10

As for Nunes, Harrison still has confidence in her teammate and sees her bouncing back.

“I still think that if they fought 10 times, nine times out of 10 Amanda starches her,” Harrison told TMZ. “But sometimes it’s just not your night no matter what you do, no matter how hard you prepare, no matter how good you feel, how confident you are. Sometimes things just don’t go your way.”

A rematch seems to be in the future for Nunes and Peña, with the “GOAT” wanting to get revenge for her first loss since 2014.

Nunes posted a photo of herself holding the belt on Instagram with the caption: “You guys think I’m going to go out unbalanced. I undoubtedly accept the rematch. Give me a little time to get my s–t together and I will be back better than ever.”

Pena was game for a rematch immediately following her win, which came via rear naked choke in the second round of their title bout.

“We can do it next; I’m free next month, two months from now—whenever they want to do it, I’m ready,” Pena said at a post-fight news conference. “If she wants to do a rematch, we can do a rematch.”